THK JOURNAL
OF THE
Britisij
ftrrtjaeological 8ssonatton,
ESTABLISHED 1843,
1NCOURAGEMENT AND PROSECUTION OF RESEARCHES
INTO THE ARTS AND MONUMENTS OF THE
EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES.
.
NEW SERIES, VOL. L— 1895.
ILonUon :
PRINTED FOR THE ASSOCIATION.
LONDON :
BEDFORD PRESS, 20 AND 21, BEDFORDBURY, W.C.
CONTENTS.
Preface ....
Prospectus ....
Rules of the Association
List of Congresses
Officers and Council for the Session 1894-5
List of Associates
Local Members of Council
Honorary Correspondents
Honorary Foreign Members
List of Societies exchanging Publications
1. The Early Occupants in the Vicinity of the Mersey, More-
cambe Bay, and Manchester. By Dr. Phene, LL.D.,
F.S.A., A7. P.
2. British Footprints : The Oldham Master-Key. By Samuel
Andrew, Esq. ..••••
3. Reminiscences of Visits to Segontium (Carnarvon). By
Harry Sheraton, Esq. .
4. Some Bypaths of the Great Civil War in Lancashire. By
Rev. J. H. Stanning, M.A. .
5. On the Importance of Preserving the Records and Literary
Antiquities of Wales, as illustrated by some recent Publi-
cations. By W. de Gray Birch, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Sec.
6. The Early Deeds relating to the Manor of Manchester, now
in the Possession of the Corporation of that City. By
J. P. Earwaker, Esq., M.A, F.S.A.
7. "Riding Skimmington" and "Riding the Stang". By
C. R. B. Barrett, Esq., M.A. ....
8. Deva : on some Traces of a Building discovered West of the
Forum. By Frank H. Williams, Esq. .
9. The Discovery of a Norman Crypt at Canterbury. By
E. P. L. Brock, Esq., F.S.A.., Hon. Treasurer .
10. Recent Discoveries in Bristol. By Dr. A. C. Fryer
PAGE
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vii
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xxi
xxii
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IV CONTENTS.
taoe
11. Notes on a Bed-Warmer By Richard Quick, Esq., Curator
of the Bbrniman Museum .... '.•.">
12. Seals of the Bishops of Winchester. By Allan Wyon, Esq.,
WP., Hon. Treasurer, F.S.A, Chief Engraver of Her
.Majesty's Seals . . . . . . 101
!■"'. ( >ii the Head of Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canter-
bury ; a Relic preserved in the Church of St. Gregory,
Sudbury, Suffolk. By W. Sparrow Simpson, D.I)., F.S.A.,
Sub-Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral . . .126
I \. Shoe-Lore. By H. Syee Cuming, Esq., V.P., F.S.A.Scot. . 148
15. Pre Norman Churches in Lancashire. By Lieut. -Colonel
II. Fishwick, F.S.A. . . . . .154
16. Historical Notes of Whalley Abbey. By W. de Gray Birch,
Esq., F.S.A. . . . . . .161
17. ( )tham Church and Parish. By Rev. J. Cave-Browne, M.A.,
Vicar of Detling, Kent ..... 167
18. Binds in an American Tumulus. By Dr. A. C. Fryer . 187
19. Glastonbury Abbey. By Miss Edith Bradley . . 205
20. Roman Manchester and the Roads to and from it. By
Rev. R. E. Hooppell, LL.D. . . . .214
21. Recent Visit to Carthage. By Rev. H. Cart, M.A. . 225
22. On Skull-Goblets. By H. S.Cuming, Esq., V.P., F.S A.Scot. 235
23. The Excavation of a Roman Villa in the Wadfield, near
Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire. By E. P. Loftus Brock,
Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer ..... 242
24. The Doors of the Church of Santa Sabina in Rome. By
S. Russell-Foebes, Ph.D. . . . .251
25. Some Points of Controversy on the Roman Road near Black -
stone Edge. By Henry Colley Marsh, Esq., Ml)., F.S.A. 259
26. Visitations of the Plague in Lancashire and Cheshire. By
William A. E. Axon, Esq. .... 265
27. The Hill of Tara. By R. H. McDonald, Esq. . .271
28. A Walk to Shu-burn Castle, Co. Oxon. By Walter Money,
Esq., F.S.A. . . . . . .285
29. The Igel Monument. By Dr. A. C. Fryer . 296
30. Valle Crucis Abbey. By Rev. T. H. Owen . . 299
31. Crypte Court, Watergate Street, Chester. By P. H.
Williams, Esq. ...... 303
32. Notes relative to some Northamptonshire Churches of Nor-
man Age, etc. I5y J. T. Ievine, Esq. . . . 309
33. The Ancient Court Records of the Borough of Salford. By
C. Makinson, Esq , Alderman .... 314
CO NT FATS. V
PACK
34. Researches and Excavations in Argolis, Phocis, Boeotia, and
other Parts of Greece. By J. S. Piienk, LL.D., F.S.A.,
V.P.R.S.L., etc. . . . . . .327
Proceedings of the Manchester Congress . . . 8J <s-">
Proceedings of the Association .... 86,187,347
Election of Associates . . 86, 89, 91, 95, 189, 196, 347
Presents to the Library 86, 89, 91, 92, 186, 189, 196, 347, 348
Annual General Meeting ..... 190
Balance Sheet for the year ending 31 Dec. 1894 .m . 191
lion. Treasurer's Report . . . . .192
Hon. Secretaries' Report . . . . .194
Election of Officers for the Session 1895-6 • . .195
Obituary : Mr. G. M. Hills . . . . .198
„ ' Rev. R, E. Hooppell .... 280
Mr. E. P. L. Brock . . . . .350
Antiquarian Intelligence : —
Wenhaston, Suffolk, Parish Records. Rev. J. B. Clare . 96
Early London Theatres : in the Fields. T. F. Ordish, F.S.A. 96
Recent Discovery of Roman Antiquities at Bath. Major
C. E. Davis, F.S.A. . . . . .97
Ancient and Holy Wells in Cornwall. M. and L. Quiller-
Couch ....... 97
English Topography in Gentleman's Magazine. G. L. Gonnne 100
The Friend of Sir Philip Sidney, being Selections from the
Work of F. Greville, Lord Brooke. A. B. Grosart . 100
Eighteen Years' Work in a Yorkshire Parish. Rev. Newton
Mant, M.A., F.S.A. . . . . . 200
Analecta Eboracensia, or Some Remains of the Ancient City
of York. Rev. C. Caine .... 200
Old Cornish Crosses. A. G. Langdon . . . 202
Monumental Brasses of Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire Notes
and Queries). C.T.Davis .... 203
Insecurity of Peterborough Cathedral . . . 201
Ancient Towers and Doorways, being Representations and
Restorations of Masoncraft relating to Early Scottish
Ecclesiology. A. Galletly and A. Taylor . . 281
Cratfield Parish Accounts. Rev. W. Holland . 282
A History of Devonshire. R. N. Worth . . . 283
Lambourn Church, Berkshire .... 283
St. Mawgan-in-Meneage, Cornwall .... 284
The King's Peace : a Historical Sketch of the English Law-
Courts. F. A. Inderwick, Q.C. . . . 353
A History of Northumberland. C. J. Bates . . 354
A History of Lancashire. Lieut.-Col. H. Fishwick . 355
Ruckinge Church, Kent ..... 356
Cratfield Parish Papers. Rev. W. Holland . . 357
Important Discoveries at Nancy .... 358
Excavation on Barry Island . . . . ib.
Index ... ..... 359
LIST OF [LLUSTKATIONS.
1. Map of British Footprints: the Oldham Master-Kej
Supposed Effigy of PubKcius
Riding the Stang. From the large Brass at Lynn
1. Deva : a Plan of Remains found West of the Forum, 1S(J4
5. Roman Balance found at Chester
6. Roman Tiles found at Chester
7. Norman Font-Bowl at Waddon, Wilts
B. Bronze Steelyard found al Winchcombe, Gloucestershire
9. Mediaeval Bed Warmer
10. St. Ruan's Well, Cornwall .
11. St. Cyr's Well, Cornwall
12. Holy Well, Chapel Farm, St. Breward, Cornwall
13. Dupath Well, St. Dominick, Cornwall
11. Holy Well, Roche, Cornwall
1 ">. Seals of the Bishops of Winchester. Plate
16. Ditto, Plate II
17. Ditto, Plate III
L8. Ditto, Plate IV
19. Head of Archbishop Simon at Sudbury
20. Ground-Plan of Otham Church
21. Doorway, Otham Church
22. Brass of Thomas Hendley at Otham
23. I lore I lourt, < >tham .
24. Three Seals of Rievaulx Abbey
27). Old Cornish Cross in Sancreed Churchyard
26. Details of Gloucestershire Brasses .
27. Roman Villa near Sudeley .
28. Ancient Carvings on the Doors of Sta. Sabina at Rome. Plate I
29. Ditto, Plate TI
30. Ditto, Plate III
31. Ditto, Plate IV
32. Roman Koad over Blackstone Edge
33. Plan of Tar a
34. Rath-na-Riogh, Ireland
35. Rath Laochanair, Ireland
36. The Croppies' Crave, Tara
37. Iona, General View of Buildings
38. Iona Cathedral
39. Iona, St. Oran's Chapel
t0. Coldingham Nunnery
41. Doorway at Lamington, Lanarkshire
12. Roman Monument at Shirburn
43. The Tgel Monument . . . (Frontispiece)
I I. Capitals in Chancel of Wakerley Church, Northamptonshire
I"1. Gold Lion's Head Mask found at Mykenae
16. Solid Gold Hying Dragon, ditto
17. Seals of the Forest
I 3, Ruckinge Church, Kent
19 Ditto, Norman South Door
PAGE
16
23
62
72
80
ib.
89
92
93
97
ib.
98
99
ib.
101
110
114
118
141
168
170
172
183
200
202
204
246
252
254
256
258
260
27 2
276
ib.
277
281
ib.
282
ib.
ib.
292
297
311
315
346
353
356
ib.
PREFACE.
The First Volume of the New Series of the
Journal of the British Archaeological Association
for the year 1895 contains thirty-four of the principal
Papers read at the Congress at Manchester in the
summer of 1894, or during the evening meetings of the
Session 1894-5 in London, as well as the Proceedings of
the Congress and evening meetings. The Volume has
been illustrated with many plates, which have been con-
tributed by the liberality of the authors of the Papers to
which they appertain, and by this means the Association
has been enabled to give a more pictorial appearance to
the present Volume than would otherwise have been
possible.
The contents will be seen to be, as is generally the
case, very miscellaneous and all-embracing ; but the
absence of any very important or out-of-the-way dis-
covery, which has characterised two previous years, will
be still noticeable in this.
This year has been saddened by the loss of three
Vin PREFACE.
ms who figured prominently in the history of the
Association, and who have helped to rear the edifice
which it is the duty of those who have been spared to
maintain. In Mr. (i. M. Hills we had a Treasurer and
leader of marked financial and archaeological excellence;
in Dr. Hooppell, an antiquary of deep research into the
history of Roman Britain ; in Mr. E. P. L. Brock, a
etary and organiser of no ordinary capacity, whose
store of knowledge was ever ready to be imparted to us,
and who, in his own branch of ecclesiology, has earned a
noble reputation for intelligent repairs as opposed to
reckless restorations of the sacred fanes which he was so
often called upon to rescue from the arch-enemy of all
ancient things, — time, the inexorable; time, the oblitera-
tor of all that partakes of the nature of a human record.
W. de Gray Birch.
31 December 1895.
1895.
Iritisjr itrjjMlfljitfll lawintioii.
The British AuciijEOlogical Association was founded in 1843, to in-
vestigate, preserve, and illustrate all ancient monuments of the history,
manners, customs, and arts of our forefathers, in furtherance of the
principles on which the Society of Antiquaries of London was esta-
blished ; and to aid the objects of that Institution by rendering avail-
able resources which had not been drawn upon, and which, indeed,
did not come within the scope of any antiquarian or literary society.
The means by which the Association proposed to effect this object are :
1. By holding communication with Correspondents throughout the
kingdom, and with provincial Antiquarian Societies, as well as by
intercourse with similar Associations in foreign countries.
2. By holding frequent and regular Meetings for the consideration
and discussion of communications made by the Associates, or received
from Correspondents.
3. By promoting careful observation and pi-eservation of antiquities
discovered in the progress of public works, such as railways, sewers,
foundations of buildings, etc.
4. By encouraging individuals or associations in making researches
and excavations, and affording them suggestions and co-operation.
5. By opposing and preventing, as far as may be practicable, all
injuries with which Aneient National Monuments of every description
may from time to time be threatened.
G. By using every endeavour to spread abroad a correct taste for
Archa3ology, and a just appreciation of Monuments of Ancient Art, so
as ultimately to secure a general interest in their preservation.
7. By collecting accurate drawings, plans, and descriptions of
Ancient National Monuments, and, by means of Correspondents, pre-
serving authentic memorials of all antiquities not later than 1750,
which may from time to time be brought to light.
8. By establishing a Journal devoted exclusively to the objects of
the Association, as a means of spreading antiquarian information and
maintaining a constant communication with all persons interested in
such pursuits.
9. By holding Annual Congresses in different parts of the country,
to examine into their special antiquities, to promote an interest in
them, and thereby conduce to their preservation.
Thirteen public Meetings are held from November to June, on the
Wednesdays given on the next page, during the session, at eight
o'clock in the evening, for the reading and discussion of papers, and for
the inspection of all objects of antiquity forwarded to the Council. To
these Meetings Associates have the privilege of introducing friends.
Persons desirous of becoming Associates, or of promoting in any way
the objects of the Association, are requested to apply either personally
or by letter to the Secretaries; or to the Sub-Treasurer, Samuel
Rayson, Esq., 32 Sackville Street, W., to whom subscriptions, by Post
Office Order or otherwise, crossed " Bank of England, W. Branch",
should be transmitted.
1895 a
11
The payment of One GniNEA annually is required of the Associates,
or FIFTEEN GUINEAS as a Life Subscription, by which the Subscribers
are entitled to a copy of the quarterly Journal as published, and per-
mitted to acquire the publications of the Association at a reduced
price.
Associates are required to pay an entrance fee of One Guinea, except
when the intending Associate is already a member of the Society of
Antiquaries, of the Royal Archaeological Institute, or of the Society of
Biblical Archaeology, in which case the entrance-fee is remitted. The
annual payments are due in advance.
Papers read before the Association should be transmitted to
the Editor of the Association, 32, Sackville Street; if they are
accepted by the Council they will be printed in the volumes of the
Journal, and they will be considered to be the property of the Asso-
ciation. Every author is responsible for the statements contained
in his paper. The published Journals may be had of the Treasurer and
other officers of the Association at the following prices : — Vol. I, out
of print. The other volumes, £1 : 1 each to Associates ; £1 : 11 : G to
the public, with the exception of certain volumes in excess of stock,
which may be had by members at a reduced price on application to
the Honorary Secretaries. The special volumes of Transactions of
the Congresses held at Winchester and at Gloucester are charged to
the public, £1 : 11 : G ; to the Associates, £1:1.
In addition to the Journal, published every quarter, it has been
found necessary to publish occasionally another work entitled Collec-
tanea Arclio2olo(jlca. It embraces papers whose length is too great
for a periodical journal, and such as require more extensive illus-
tration than can be given in an octavo form. It is, therefore, put
forth in quarto, uniform with the Arcliceologia of the Society of Anti-
quaries, and sold to the public at 7s. 6d. each Part, but may be had by
the Associates at 5s. {See coloured wrapper of the quarterly Paris.)
An Index for the fmst thirty volumes of the Journal has been
prepared by Walter de Gray Birch, Esq., F.S.A., Honorary Secretary.
Present price to Associates, 5s. ; to the public, 7s. 6d. Another
Index, to volumes xxxi-xlii, the Collectanea Archceologica, and the two
extra vols, for the Winchester and Gloucester Congresses, also now
ready (uniform). Price to Associates, 10s. 6d. ; to the public, 15s.
Public Meetings held on Wednesday evenings, at No. 32, Sackville
Street, Piccadilly, at 8 o'clock precisely.
The Meetings for Session 1894-95 are as follows :— 1894, Nov. 21 ;
Dec. 5. 1895, January 2, 1G ; Feb. 6, 20 ; March G, 20 ; April 3, 17 ;
May 1 (Annual General Meeting), 15; June 5.
Visitors will be admitted by order from Associates ; or by writing
their names, and those of the members by whom they are introduced.
The Council Meetings are held at Sackville Street on the same day as
the Public Meetings, at half-past 4 o'clock precisely.
Ill
KULES OF THE ASSOCIATION.
The British Aucii.kological Association shall consist of Patrons,
Associates, Local Members of Council, Honorary Correspondents,
and Honorary Foreign Members.
1. The Patrons,— a class confined to members of the royal
family or other illustrious persons.
2. The Associates shall consist of ladies or gentlemen elected
by the Council, and who, upon the payment of one guinea
entrance fee (except when the intending Associate is
already a Member of the Society of Antiquaries of London,
of the Pioyal Archaeological Institute, or of the Society of
Biblical Archaeology), and a sum of not less than one guinea
annually, or fifteen guineas as a life-subscription, shall be-
come entitled to receive a copy of the quarterly Journal
published by the Association, to attend all meetings, vote in
the election of Officers and Council, and admit one visitor
to each of the ordinary meetings of the Association.
3. The Local Members of Council shall consist of such of the
Associates elected from time to time by the Council, on the
nomination of two of its members, who shall promote the
views and objects of the Association in their various local-
ities, and report the discovery of antiquarian objects to the
Council. There shall be no limit to their number, but in
their election the Council shall have regard to the extent
and importance of the various localities which they will
represent. The Local Members shall be entitled to attend
the meetings of the Council, to advise them, and report on
matters of archaeological interest which have come to their
notice; but they shall not take part in the general business
of the Council, or be entitled to vote on any subject,
4. The Honorary Correspondents,— a class embracing all inte-
rested in the investigation and preservation of antiquities ;
to be qualified for election on the recommendation of the
President or Patron, or of two Members of the Council, or
of four Associates.
5. The Honorary Foreign Members shall be confined^ to illus-
trious or learned foreigners who may have distinguished
themselves in antiquarian pursuits.
a2
IV
Al 'MINISTRATION.
Toconduct the affairs of the Association there shall be annually
1 a President, fifteen Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, Sub-
3urer, two Honorary Secretaries, and eighteen other Asso-
all nf whom shall constitute the Council, and two Auditors
without seats in the Council.
The i si Presidents shall be ea officio Vice-Presidents for life,
with the same statics and privileges as the elected Vice-Presidents,
and take precedence in the order of service.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COUNCIL.
1. The President, Vice-Presidents, members of Council, and
( Ifficers, shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting, to be held
on the first Wednesday in May in each year. Such election shall
be conducted by ballot, which shall continue open during at least
one hour. A majority of votes shall determine the election.
Every Associate balloting shall deliver his name to the Chairman,
and afterwards put his list, filled up, into the balloting box. The
presiding officer shall nominate two Scrutators, who, with one or
more of the Secretaries, shall examine the lists and report thereon
to the General Meeting.
2. I f any member of the Council, elected at the Annual General
Meeting, shall not have attended three meetings of the Council,
at least, during the current session, the Council shall, at their
meeting held next before the Annual Meeting, by a majority of
votes of the members present, recommend whether it is desirable
that such member shall be eligible for re-election or not, and
such recommendation shall be submitted to the Annual Meeting
on the ballot papers.
CHAIRMAN OF MEETINGS.
1. The President, when present, shall take the chair at all meet-
ings of the Association. He shall regulate the discussions and
enforce the laws of the Association.
2. In the absence of the President, the chair shall be taken by
the Treasurer, or, in his absence, by the senior or only Vice-
President present, and willing to preside ; or in default, by the
senior elected Member of Council or some officer present.
3. The Chairman shall, in addition to his own vote, have a cast-
ing vote when the suffrages are equal.
THE TREASURER.
The Treasurer shall hold the finances of the Association, dis-
charge all debts previously presented to and approved of by the
Council, and shall make up his accounts to the 31st of December
in each year, and having had his accounts audited he shall lay
them before the Annual Meeting. Two-thirds of the life-subscrip-
tions received by him shall be invested in such security as the
Council may approve.
THE SECIIETAHIES.
The Secretaries shall attend all meetings of the Association,
transmit notices to the Members, and read the letters and papers
communicated to the Association. The notices of meetings of the
Council shall state the business to be transacted, including the
names of any candidates for the office of Vice-President or Mem-
bers of Council, but not the names of proposed Associates or Hono-
rary Correspondents.
THE COUNCIL.
1. The Council shall superintend and regulate the proceedings
of the Association, and elect the Associates ; whose names, when
elected, are to be read over at the ordinary meetings.
2. The Council shall meet on the clays on which the ordinary
meetings of the Association are held, or as often as the business of
the Association shall require, and five members shall be a quorum.
0. An extraordinary meeting of the Council may be held at any
time by order of the President, or by a requisition signed by live
of its members, stating the purpose thereof, addressed to the
Secretaries, who shall issue notices of such meeting to every
member.
4. The Council shall fill up any vacancy that may occur in any
of the offices or among its own members, notice of proposed
"election being given at the immediately preceding Council
meeting.
5. The Council shall submit a report of its proceedings to the
Annual Meeting.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
1. The ordinary meetings of the Association shall be held on
the third Wednesday in November, the first Wednesday in
December, the first and third Wednesdays in the months from
January to April inclusive, the third Wednesday in May, and
the first Wednesday in June, at 8 o'clock in the evening precisely,
for the purpose of inspecting and conversing upon the various
objects of antiquity transmitted to the Association, and such other
business as the Council may appoint.
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held on
the first Wednesday in May in each year, at 4.30 p.m. precisely,
at which the President, Vice-Presidents, and officers of the Asso-
ciationshall be elected, and such other business shall be conducted
VI
as in. iv be deemed advisable for the well-being of the Association;
but none of the rules of the Association shall be repealed or
altered unless twenty-eight days' notice of intention to propose
such repeal or alteration shall have been given to the Secretaries,
and they shall have notified the same to the Members of the
Council at their meeting held next after receipt of the notice.
2. An extraordinary general meeting of the Association may at
any time be convened by order of the President, or by a requisition
signed by twenty Associates, stating the object of the proposed
meeting, 'addressed to the Secretaries, who shall issue notices
rdingly, statin- therein the object for which the meeting is
called.
3. A General Public Meeting or Congress shall be held annually
in such town or place in the United Kingdom, at such time and for
such period as shall be considered most advisable by the Council,
to which Associates, Correspondents, and others, shall be admitted
by ticket, upon the payment of one guinea, which shall entitle the
er, and also a lady, to be present at all meetings either for the
reading of papers, the exhibition of antiquities, the holding of
rsazioni, or the making of excursions to examine any objects
of antiquarian interest.
4. The Officers having the management of the Congress shall
submit their accounts to the Council at their next meeting after
•the Congress shall have been held, and a detailed account of
their personal expenses, accompanied by as many vouchers as
they can produce.
ANNULMENT OF MEMBERSHIP.
If there shall be any ground alleged, other than the non-
payment of subscriptions, for the removal of any Associate, such
ground shall be submitted to the Council at a Special Meeting to
be summoned for that purpose, of which notice shall be given
to the Associate complained of, and in default of his attending
such meeting of Council, or giving a satisfactory explanation to
the Council, he shall, if a resolution be passed at such meeting, or
any adjournment thereof, by two-thirds at least of the members
then present for such removal, thereupon cease to be a member of
the Association. Provided that no such resolution shall be valid
unless nine members of the Council at least (including the Chair-
man) shall be present when the resolution shall be submitted to
the meeting.
Vll
LIST OF CONGRESSES.
Congresses have been already held at
Under the Presidency of
1844 Canterbury
1845 Winchester
1846 Gloucester
1847 "Warwick
1848 Worcester
1849 Chester
1850 Manciiester&Lancast
1851 Derby .
1852 Newark
1853 Rochester
1854 Chepstow
1855 Isle of Wight
1856 Bridgwater and Bath
1857 Norwich
1858 Salisbury
1859 Newbury
1860 Shrewsbury
1861 Exeter .
1862 Leicester
1863 Leeds .
1864 Ipswich .
1865 Durham
1866 Hastings
1867 Ludlow
1868 Cirencester
1869 St. Alban's
1870 Hereford
1871 Weymouth
1872 Wolverhampton
1873 Sheffield
1874 Bristol .
1875 Evesham
1876 Bodmin and Penzanc
The Lord A. D. Conyngham, K.C.IL,
F.R.S., F.S.A.
J. IIeywood, Esq., M.P., F.R.S., F.S.A,
Sir Oswald Mosley, Bt., D.C.L.
The Duke of Newcastle
Ralph Bernal, Esq., M.A.
The Earl of Perth and Melfort
The Earl of Albemarle, F.S.A.
The Marquess of Ailesbury
The Earl of Carnarvon, F.S.A.
Beriah Botfield, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A.
Sir Stafford H. Northcote, Bt.
John Lee, Esq., LL.D., F.R.S., F.S.A.
Lord Houghton, M.A., D.C.L., F.S A.
George Tomline, Esq., M.P., F.S.A.
The Duke of Cleveland
The Earl of Chichester
Sir C. H. Rouse Boughton, Bt.
The Earl Bathurst
The Lord Lytton
Chandos Wren IIoskyns, Esq., M.P.
Sir W. Coles Medlicott. Bt., D.C.L.
The Earl of Dartmouth
The Duke of Norfolk, E.M.
Kikkman D. Hodgson, Esq., M.P.
The Marquess of Hertford
The Earl of Mount-Edgcumisi;
Vlll
Congresses have been already held at
Under the Presidency of
1877 Llangollen
1878 Wisbech
1879 Yarmouth & Norwich
1880 Devizes
1881 Great Malvern
1882 Plymouth
1883 Dover .
1884 Tenby .
1885 Brighton
1886 Darlington and Bisho
Auckland
1887 Liverpool
1888 Glasgow
1889 Lincoln .
1890 Oxford .
1891 York
1892 Cardiff .
1893 Winchester
1894 Manchester
Sir Watkin W. Wynn, Bart., M.P.
The Earl of Hardwicke
The Lord Waveney, F.R.S.
The Earl Nelson
Lord Alwyne Compton, D.D., Dean
of Worcester
The Duke of Somerset, K.G.
The Earl Granville, K.G.
The Bishop of St. David's
The Duke of Norfolk, E.M.
The Bishop of Durham
Sir J. A. Picton, F.S.A.
The Marquess of Bute, K.T., LL.D.
\ The Earl of Winchilsea and Not-
J tingham
The Marquess of Ripon, K.G.
The Bishop of Llandaff
I The Earl of Nortiibrook, G.C.S.I.
1895.
THE ANNUAL CONGEESS
WILL BE HELD THIS YEAR AT
STOKE-ON-TRENT
(Detailed Programme will be issued very soon.)
IX
OFFICERS AND COUNCIL FOR THE SESSION 1804--.
President.
THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF NORTHBROOK, G.C.S.I.
Vice-Presidents.
Ex officio— Ins Duke of Norfolk, K.G., B.M.; The Marquess of Bute,
KT.; The Marquess of Ripon, K.G., G.C.S.I.; The Earl of Hard-
wioke; The Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe ; The Earl Nelson; The
Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham ; The Lord Bishop of Llan-
daff, D.D., F.S.A.; The Lord Bishop of St. David's, D.D.; Sir
Charles H. Rouse Boughton, Bart.; James Heywood, Esq., F.R.S.,
F.S.A.
Colonel G. G. Adams, F.S.A.
Thomas Blashill, Esq., F.Z.S.
Cecil Brent, Esq., F.S.A.
Arthur Cates, Esq.
C. II. Compton, Esq.
William Henry Cope, Esq., F.S.A.
H. Syer Cuming, Esq., F.S. A.Scot.
Sir John Evans, K.C.B., D.C.L.,
LL.D., D.Sc, F.R.S., F.S.A
Rev.S. M. \lAYHEW,M.A.,F.S.A.Scot.,
F.R.I.A.
J. S. Phene, Esq., LL.D., F.S.A.,
F.G.S., F.R.G.S.
Rev. W. Sparrow Simpson,D.D., F.S. A.
E. M. Thompson, Esq., C.B., F.S.A.,
D.C.L., LL.D.
Sir Albert Woods, K.C.M.G., F.S.A.
(Garter King of A rrrn
Sir Augustus W. Franks, K.C.B., | Allan WYoN,Esq.,F.S.A.,F.S.A.Scot.,
D. Litt,, F.R.S , P.S.A. i F.R.G.S.
Honorary Treasurer.
E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq., F.S.A., 16 Red Lion Square, W.C.
Sub-Treasurer.
Samuel Rayson, Esq., 32 Sackville Street, W.
Honorary Secretaries.
W. de Gray Birch, Esq., F.S.A., British Museum.
George Patrick, Esq., Dalham Villa, Southfields, Wandsworth, S.W.
Palaeographer.
E. Maunde Thompson, Esq., C.B., F.S.A., D.C.L., LL.D.
Council.
J. Romilly Allen, Esq., F.S. A. Scot.,
A.I.C.E.
Algernon Brent, Esq., F.R.G.S.
Rev. J. Cave-Browne, M.A.
J. Park Harrison, Esq., M.A.
Richard Horsfall, Esq.
W. E. Hughes, Esq.
A. G. Langdon, Esq.
Richard Duppa Lloyd, Esq.,
F.R.IIist.S.
J. T. Mould, Esq.
W. J. Nichols, Esq.
A. Oliver, Esq.
W. II. Rylands, Esq., F.S.A.
R. E. Way, Esq.
Benjamin Winstone, Esq., M.D.
Auditors.
C Davis, Esq.
C. J. Williams, Esq.
Britteij aitftacolofitcal association.
LIST OF ASSOCIATES.
1895.
The past-Presidents marked * are permanent Vice-Presidents.
The letter L denotes Life-Members, and C, Congress Members
for the Year.
THE
RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF NORTHBROOK, G.C.S.L,
PRESIDENT.
Date of Election.
l. 1857 Amherst of Hackney, The Right Hon. Lord, F.S.A., Did-
lington Park, Brandon, Norfolk
18G5 Armstrong, The Right Hon. Lord, Craigside, Rothbury
1854 Adams, Colonel G. G., F.S.A., Vice-President, Acton Green
Lodge, Chiswick
1890 Addison, Albert, Esq., Portsmouth
L. 1871 Aldam, William, Esq., Frickley Hall, Doiicaster
I.. 1851 Alger, John, Esq., the Public Library, Auchtcrardcr, N.B.
1878 Allen, J. Romilly, Esq., F.S.A.Scot., A.I.C.E., 28 Great
Ormond .Street, W.C.
l. 1857 Allen, W. E., Esq.
1890 American Geographical Society, New York (care of B. P. Ste-
vens, Esq., -I Trafalgar Square, W.C.)
18G9 Andrews, Charles, Esq., Farnham, Surrey
1874 Army and Navy Club, St. James's Square, S.W.
1893 Arnold, Edward, Esq., Stoneleigh House, Grove Road, Clap-
ham Park, S.W.
1877 Ash by, Thomas, Esq., care of Apsley Smith, Esq., 6 Castle
Crescent, Bath Road, Reading
1894 Astley, the Rev. H. J. Dukinfield, M.A., St. John's Vicarage,
Angcll Park, Brixton, S.W..
187G Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, S.W.
1888 Bute, Tni; Marquess of, K.T., Vice-President* Mount Stuart,
Isle of Bute, N.B.
l. 1857 Bateman, The Right Hon. Lord, Carlton Club, S.W.
LIST OF ASSOCIATES. XI
1872 Baker, Rev. Preb. Sir Talbot R. B., Bart., Ranston, Bland-
ford
1880 Boileau, Sib Francis G. M., Bart., Ketteringham Park, Wy-
niondham
l. 18G0 Boughton, Sir Charles Rouse, Bart., Vice-President* Down-
ton Hall, Ludlow
l, 18G0 Bridgman, Hon. and Rev. Geo. T. Orlando, M.A., The Hall,
Wigan
l. 1874 Brown, Sib John, Bndcliffo Hall, Sheffield
L. 1878 Babington, Charles C, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.S.A., Brookside,
Cambridge
1885 Bagster, R., Esq., Paternoster Row, E.C.
1884 Baker, Ernest E., Esq., Weston-super-Mare
L. 1876 Bayly, Robert, Esq., Ton* Grove, Plymouth
1879 Bensly, W. T., Esq., LL.D., Diocesan Registry, Norwich
l. 1859 Beynon, Richard, Esq., 17 Grosvenor Square, W.
1879 Birch, Rev. C. G. R., Brancaster Rectory, King's Lynn
1871 Birch, Walter de Gray, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Secretary, British
Museum, and 5 Chats worth Road, Christchurch Avenue,
Brondesbury, N. W.
1872 Birmingham Free Libraries, Birmingham
l. 1882 Blakiston, Rev. R. Milburn, F.S.A., Arundel Lodge, 44 Lans-
downe Road, Croydon
1861 Blashill, Thomas, Esq., F.Z.S., Vice-President, London County
Council, Spring Gardens, S.W.
1865 Bly, J. H., Esq., Vauxhall, Great Yarmouth
1894 Boston Public Library, Boston, Mass., U.S.A., care of Mr.
G. E. Stechert, 30 Wellington Street, Strand, W.C.
1892 Bowen, Rev. David, B.A., Monkton, Pembroke
1872 Braid, Charles, Esq., Braidswood, Linden Park, Tunbridge
Wells
1874 Bramble, Colonel J.R., F.S.A.,Cleeve House, Yatton, Somerset
L. 1886 Bramley-Moore, Rev. W., 26 Russell Square, W.C.
1880 Bravcnder, Thomas B., Esq., 96 Oakfield Road, Anerley, S.E.
L. 1883 Brent, Algernon, Esq., F.R.G.S., 12 Mandeville Place, W.
1853 Brent, Cecil, Esq., F.S.A., Vice-President, 37 Palace Grove,
Bromley, Kent
1875 Brent, Francis, Esq., F.S.A., 6 Tothill Avenue, Plymouth
1890 Brighton Free Library, care of F. W. Madden, Esq., Church
Street, Brighton
L. 1875 Brinton, John, Esq., Moor Hall, Stourport
1886 Broad, J., Esq., Ash ford
1861 Brock, E. P. Loftus, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer, 16 Red
Lion Square, W.C.
L. 1874 Brooke, Thomas, Esq., F.S.A., Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield
1883 Brown, T. Viney, Esq., Dover
1885 Brown, J., Esq.,C.B., Q.C., F.G.S., 54 Avenue Road, Regent's
Park, N.W.
1856 Brushfiekl, T. N., Esq., M.D., The Cliff, Budleigh Salterton,
Devon
1890 Bull, William, Esq., " Motala," G6 New Alma Road, South-
ampton
1880 Bulwer, J. R., Esq., Q.C., 2 Temple Gardens, E.C.
Xll LIST OF ASSOCIATES.
1888 Burnard, Robert, Esq., 3 Hillsborough, Plymouth
1881 Bush, Edward, Esq., The Grove, Alvestou, R.S.O., Gloucester
1881 Bush, John, Esq., 10 St. Augustine's Parade, Bristol
L892 Bush. Robert C, Esq., 1 Winifred's Dale, Bath
L892 Bush, Thomas S., Esq., Dale Cottage, Charlcombe, Bath
l. 1880 Butcher, W. H., Esq.
1893 Cardiff, The Free Library
1892 Carpent er, Evan, Esq., The Cottage, Altyre Road, East
Croydon
1888 Cart, Rev. Henry, The Vicarage, Oseney Street, N.W.
1881 Gates, Arthur, Esq., Vice-President, 7 Whitehall Yard, S.W.
1891 Cave-Browne, Rev. J., M.A., Detiiug Vicarage, Maidstone
1881 Chaffey-Cliaflf'cy, R., Esq., East Stoke House, Stoke-sub-
Hamdon, Ilminster
1855 Chapman, Thomas, Esq., 37 Tregunter Road, West Brompton
1890 Christ's College Library, Cambridge
1886 Clark, C. J., Esq., 27 Woodstock Road, Bedford Park, Chis-
wick, W.
18G9 Cokayne, Andreas Edward, Esq., Bakewell, Derbyshire
.l. 18G7 Cokayne, George Edw., Esq., F.S.A., Norroy King of Arms,
Heralds' College, E.G.
1860 Cole, T. H., Esq., 59 Cambridge Road, Hastings
1888 Collier, Rev. Carus Vale. B.A., Davington, Faversham, Kent
1893 Collier, Mrs., 6 Chester Square, S.W.
1879 Colman, J. J., Esq., M.P., Carrow House, Norwich
1876 Compton, C. H., ^s^.,Vice-President, 33 The Chase, Clapham
Common, S.W.
1863 Cope, Wm. Henry, Esq., F.S.A., Vice-President, 12 Gloucester
Road, Regent's Park, N.W.
1889 Coulard, Christopher L., Esq., Mad ford, Launceston
1876 Cramer, F. L., Esq., Holbrook, Erpingham Road, Putnev
1893 Crespi, Dr. Alfred J. H., Wimborne, Dorset
1861 Creswell, Rev. Samuel Francis, D.D., F.R.A.S., F.R.G.S.,
North Repps, S. O., Norfolk
1844 Cuming, H. Syer, Esq., F.S.A.Scot., 63 Kennington Park
Road, S.E.
1872 Curteis, Rev. Thomas S., F.S.A., Sevenoaks, Kent
1888 Curtis, Charles, Esq., 28 Baker Street, W.
l. 1872 Dartmouth, The Right Hon. the Earl of, Vice-Vresident*
Patshull, Wolverhampton
1853 Ducib, Tin: Right Hon. the Earl of, F.R.S., Tortworth
Court, Falfiekl, Gloucestershire
1883 Dickeson, Sib Richard, Esplanade, Dover
1884 Davies, W. K., Esq.,
1 378 Dawson, Edward B., Esq., LL.B., Aldcliffe Hall, Lancaster
L. 1874 Derham, W., Esq., M.A., LL.M., OS Queensbcrough Terrace,
Bayswator, W.
1891 Detroit Library, care of Mr. B. F. Stevens, 4 Trafalgar
Square, W.C.
LIST OF ASSOCIATES. Xlll
1884 Dix, John W. S., Esq., Hampton Lodge, Durdkam Down,
Bristol
1801 Donald, Colin Dunlop, Esq., E.S.A.Scot., 172 St. Vincent
Street, Glasgow
1875 Edwards, Sir G. W., Sea Walls, Stoke Bishop, Bristol
1855 Evans, Sir John, K.C.B., D.C.L., LL.D., D.Sc, F.R.S.,
F.S. A., Vice-President, Hemel Hempstead
1893 Elwell, W. R. G, Esq., St. Aubyn, Fulham Park Gardens,
s.w.
1891 Evans, Chas. R. J., Esq., Lathom Lodge, 97 Loughborough
Park, S.W.
1875 Franks, Sir Augustus W., K.C.B., Litt.D., M.A., F.R.S.,
P.S.A., Vice-President, British Museum, W.C.
L. 1890 Ferguson, Professor John, 13 Newton Place, Glasgow, N.B.
),. 1879 Ferguson, Richard S., Esq., Lowther Street, Carlisle
(,. 1864 Ferguson, Robert, Esq., Morton House, Carlisle
L. 1880 Fisher, S. T., Esq., The Grove, Streatham, S.W.
1857 Fitch, Robert, Esq., F.S.A., Woodlands, Heigham, Norwich
1895 Flower, Arthur S., Esq., 7 Gordon Place, Gordon Square,
W.C.
L. 1888 Fowler, John, Esq., 1G Kersland Street, Glasgow
1887 Fox, Robert, Esq., Vernon House, Ryde
1877 Fretton, W. G, Esq., F.S. A., Hearsall' Terrace, Chapel Fields,
Coventry
1883 Fry, E. W., Esq., St. Martin's House, Dover
1880 Fryer, A. C, Esq., Ph.D., M.A., F.C.S., F.R.H.S , 13 Eaton
Crescent, Clifton, Bristol
1892 Fuller, George, Esq., Crisp Lodge, 211 Romford Road, Strat-
ford, Essex
L. 1874 Gainsford, T. R., Esq., Whiteley Wood Hall, Sheffield
1894 George, Frank, Esq., 8 Randall Road, Cliftonwoocl, Clifton,
Bristol
L. 1881 Gibson, Mrs. James, Castle Bree, Cambridge
1877 Glasgow, The Mitchell Library, 21 Miller Street, Glasgow
L. 1860 Greenhalgh, Thos., Esq., "Highfield," Silverdale, Carnforth
1893 Gribble, H. E., Esq., 38 Bedford Row, W.C.
L. 1891 Gurney, Richard H. J., Esq., Northrepps Hall, Norwich
L. 1889 Hawkesbury, Lokd, Cockglode, Ollerton, Newark
1858 Hammond, Charles E., Esq., Newmarket
1852 Hannah, Robt., Esq., 82 Addison Road, W.
1864 Harker, John, Esq., M.D., Hazel Grove, near Carnforth
l. 1890 Harnett, Mrs. F. R, St. Luke's, Maidenhead
1891 Harrison, J. Park, Esq., M.A., 22 Connaught Street, W.
L. 1891 Harvey, H. Fairfax, Esq., Whitehill, Bideford, N. Devon
1888 Harvey, James, Esq., Belgrave Villa, Tufnell Park Road, N.
XIV LIST OF ASSOCIATES.
1872 Hellier, Colonel T. B. Shaw, 4th Dragoon Guards (caro of
Messrs. Holt, Laurie, and Co., 17 Whitehall Place, S.W.)
L. 1844 Hey wood, James, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A., Vice-President*
26 Palace Gardens, Kensington, W.
1872 Hicklin, B., Esq., Holly House, Dorking, Surrey
1S91 Hogg, F. G., Esq., 101 Leadenhall Street, E.C.
I -'.' 1 Holmes, J. G., Esq., Curzon Park, Chester
1880 Hooppell, Rev. R. E., M.A., LL.D., Byers Green Rectory,
Spennymoor
1870 Horner, W. S., Esq., 8 Aldgate, E.
L. 1895 Horniman, F. John, Esq., F.S.A.Scot,, Horniman's Museum,
Forest Hill, S.E.
L. 18G3 Horsfall, Richard, Esq., Halifax
l. 1875 Hudd, Alfred E., Esq., F.S.A., 94 Pembroke Road, Clifton,
Bristol
1895 Hull, the Public Library
1878 Hughes, 11. R., Esq., Kiumel Park, Abergele, North Wales
L. 1890 Hughes, T. Cann, Esq., M. A., Town Clerk's Office, Manchester
1852 Hughes, W. E., Esq., Essington Villa, 89 Alexandra Road,
St, John's Wood, N.W.
1853 Hull Subscription Library, Albion Street, Hull
L. 1866 Hunter, Edward, Esq., Junior Carlton Club, S.W.
1863 Irvine, J. T., Esq., 21 St. Stephen's Terrace, Kirkstall, Leeds
1879 Jenner, Miss Lucy A., Greenwood, Bishop's Waltham
L. 1875 Joseph, Major H., 45 Aberdeen Park, Highbury, N.
L. 1857 Kerr, Mrs. Alexander, 19 Warwick Road, Earl's Court,
S.W.
1888 King, Rev. Herbert Poole, Stourton Rectory, Bath
L. 1865 Kirchofer, Professor Theodor
L. 1887 Kitching, John, Esq., Branksome Hall, Darlington
1875 Lach-Szyrma, Rev. W. S., M.A., The Vicarage, Barkingside,
Ilford
1874 Lacv, C. J., Esq., 28 Belsize Park, N.W.
L. 1870 Lambert, Colonel George, K.S.A., 10 Coventry Street, W.
1894 Lambert Miss, 10 Coventry Street, W.
L895 Lambert, Mr. Chas., 10, Coventry Street, W.
1 LaiiLr, .lames, Esq., 9 Crown Gardens, Dowanhill, Glasgow,
N.i;.
1888 Langdon, A. G., Esq., 17 Craven Street, Strand
l. 1891 Larkin, John, Esq., Delrow, Aldenbam, Watford
1S'.» -_> Lawrence, liasil E., Esq., LL.D., 3 Strathray Gardens, South
Hampstead, N.W.
1892 Laxton, Mrs., Hartington House, Blomfield Terrace, Ux-
bridge Road, W.
L. 1873 Leader, J. D., Esq., F.S.A., Moor End, Sheffield
1862 Le Keux, J. II., Esq., 64 Saddler Street, Durham
L. 1881 Lewis, Mrs. S. S., Castle Broe, Cambridge
LIST OF ASSOCIATES. XV
L. 1881 Lewis, T. Hayter, Esq., F.S.A., 12 Kensington Gardens
Square, W.
1863 Library of the Corporation of London, Guildhall, E.C.
1891 Literary and Philosophic Club, 28 Berkeley Square, Bristol
1887 Lloyd, Richard Duppa, Esq., F.lt.Hist.S., 2 Addison Cres-
cent, W.
188G Long'Lieut.-Colonel, Woodlands, Congresbury R.S.O.
L. I860 Long, Mrs. Caroline,
1865 Lynam, C, Esq., Stoke-upon-Trent
l. 187G Mount-Edgcumbe, Tiie Right Hon. the Earl of, Vice-
President,* Mount-Edgcumbe, Devonport
L. 1874 Mappin, Sir F. J., Bart., Thornbury, Ranmoor, Sheffield
r,. 1875 Mackeson, E., Esq., 13 Hyde Park Square, W.
1882 McLaughlin, Major-General Edward, R.A., 1 Stanley Gar-
dens, W.
187G Manchester Free Libi'aries, Manchester
L. 1863 Marshall, Arthur, Esq., 13 Bclsize Avenue, N.W.
1862 Marshall, W. G., Esq., 72 Bromfelde Road, Clapharn, S.W.
L. 1844 Marshall, Wm. Calder, Esq., R.A., 115 Ebury Street, S.W.
1884 Matthew, E. B., Esq., 98 Fellows Road, South Hampstead,
N.W.
L. 1879 Maude, Rev. Samuel, M.A., The Vicarage, Hockley, Essex
1865 Mayhew, Rev. Samuel Martin, M.A., F.S.A.Scot., F.R.I.A.,
Vice-President, St. Paul's Vicarage, Bermondsey ; 83 New
Kent Road, S.E.
1872 Merriman, Robert William, Esq., Sempringham, Marlborough
L. 1881 Methold, Frederick J., Esq., F.S.A., Thome Court, Shimp-
ling, Bury St. Edmund's
1863 Milligan, James, Esq.,
L. 1867 Milner, Rev. John, 47 St. Quintin Avenue, W.
h. 1875 Money, Walter, Esq., F.S.A., Herborough House, Newbury
1881 Montgomry, A. S., Esq., Busch House, Isleworth
1884 Morris, Howard 0., Esq., 2 Walbrook, E.C.
1866 Mould, J. T., Esq., 1 Onslow Crescent, South Kensington
L. 1877 Mullings, John, Esq., Cirencester
l. 1875 Norfolk, His Grace the Duke of, E.M., Vice-President*
Arundel Castle and 31 St. James's Square, S.W.
1881 Nathan, Benjamin C, Esq., Lorano, Atkins Road, Clapharn
Park, S.W.
1884 Nesham, Robert, Esq., Utrecht House, Clapharn Park, S.W.
1887 Newton, Colonel W., Hillside, Newark-on-Trent
1886 Nichols, W. J., Esq., The Warren, South Hill Park, Bromley,
Kent
1884 Oldham, Mrs., 96 Lexham Gardens, W.
1889 Oliver, Andrew, Esq., 7 Bedford Row, W.C.
L. 1881 Oliver, Edward Ward, Esq., 19 Brechin Place, South Kens-
ington, S.W.
vj LIST OF ASSOCIATES.
1>, i k. Sll 11 ' v W-., BART., Wimbledon House, Wimbledon,
s.w.
1892 Palfrey, P. P., Esq., 59 Gloucester Road, Regent's Park,
N.W.
Ig59 Patrick, George, Esq . Eon. Secretary, Dalh am Villa, South-
6elds, Wandsworth, S.W.
1885 Payne, William. Esq., Woodleigh, The Thicket, Southsea
L866 \' [nstitute, Baltimore, U.S. (care of Mr. E. G. Allen,
1 1, arietta Street, < lovenl Garden )
■k. Thomas F., Esq., Fernlea, High Road, Sidcup
!. 1866 Pemberton, K. L., Esq., Hawthorn Tower, Sealiani
1-:-;; 1\ : ton, E., Esq., F.G.S., 1 Mortimer Street, W., and Bench
1 1 ase, Lymlhurst
1885 Peter, Clande If. E Clerk, Graigmore, Launceston
.' S., Esq., LL.D., F.S.A., F.G.S., F.R.G.S., Vice.
/' / ■' t, 5 Carlton Terrace, Oakley Street, S.W.
L879 Phillips, Rev. G. W., Pebworth Vicarage, Stratford-on-Avon
1886 Phillips, M.. Esq., 145 Walworth Road, S.E.
C 1895 Phillips, Herbert, Esq., Sutton Oaks, Macclesfield
1882 Phillips, John H., Esq., Philosophical and Archaeological
i >ty, Scarborough
1 352 Pick rsgill, Frederick K.. Esq., R.A., Towers, Yarmouth, Isle
..f W
r.. 1883 Pierce, Josiah, Esq., 12 Beaufort Gardens, S.W.
1881 Praukerd, Peter 1).. Esq., The Knoll, Sneyd Park, Bristol
1858 Previte, Joseph W., Esq., Oak Lodge, Pond Road, Black-
heath, S.E.
1887 Price, Miss M A., Hooper's Hill House, Margate
1867 Prichard, Rev. Hugh, Dinam, Gaerwen, Anglesey
1883 Probyn, Major Clifford, 55 Grosvenor Street, W.
1889 Prosser, Miss, Mount Pleasant, West Hill, Putney Heath
1893 Quick, Robert, Esq., 35 Bucklersbnry, E.C.
l. 1863 Ripon, The .Most Hon. the Marquess of, K.G., G.C.S.I.,
:' Chelsea Embankment, S.W
:; in, Richard, Esq., B.A., Hope Cottage, 93 Springfield
: ' a Park, Brighton
1883 Radford, D., Esq., Mounl Taw. Tavistock
i. 1-7" i;.- in, S., Esq., 32 Sackville Street, Piccadilly, W.
1891 Renand, E. J., Esq., High Bouse. Old Swinford, Stourbridge
1882 Rendle, Mrs. Wm. Gibson, Irvine, Balhara Park Road,
S.W.
'. I84fi Richards, Thomas, Esq., 47 Holland Road, Kensington, W.
1866 B . Charles Pox, Esq., K.S.A.. Litchurch, Derby
:. 1884 Roget, J. I... Esq., 5 Randolph Crescent, Maida Hill, W.
i. I-/- Roper, W., [un., Esq., Lancaster
1882 Routledge, Rev. Canon, M.A., St. Martin's, Canterbury
I"'- It ■ . J. Bro ' -. E [., P.S.A., Castle Barbican, Plymptori
L877 I! ■ II. Miss, Ashiestiel, Galashiels, N.B.
LIST OF ASSOCIATES. XV11
1889 Russell, the Rev. James C, D.D., Dunfillan, Dunoon, N.B.
1873
l. 1881 Ryland
Rylands,W. Earry, Esq., F.S.A., 37 Great Russell Street, W.C.
Rylands, T. G., Esq., P.S.A., Highfields, Thelwall, Cheshire
l. 1888 Stair, The Right Hon. the Earl of, K.T., LL.D., Bargamy
Castle, Ayrshire
1892 Seward, Edwin, Esq., 55 Newport Road, Cardiff
1877 Sheraton, H., Esq., 2 Highfield Road, Rock Ferry.Birkenhead
1885 Sibbald, J. G., Esq., Admiralty, S.W.
1876 Simion, L., Esq., Berlin (care of Asher and Co., 13 Bedford
Street, Covent Garden)
L. 1865 Simpson, Rev. W. Sparrow, D.D., F.S.A., Vice-President,
9 Amen Court, E.C.
188-4 Skipwith, Grey H., Esq., 25 Arboretum Street, Nottingham
1878 Smith, Worthington G., Esq., 121 High Street South, Dun-
stable, Beds.
1884 Smith, Jonathan, Esq., 54 Wynnstay Gardens, Kensing-
ton, VV.
1886 Soames, Captain R., Scaldwell, Northampton
1888 Sorley, Robert, Esq., 136 Argyle Street, Glasgow, N.B.
1893 Southport Free Library, Southport
1867 Stevens, Joseph, Esq., Hurstbonrne, Alexandra Road, Reading
l. 1878 Strickland, Edward, Esq., Bristol
1892 Sykes, Rev. VV. Slater, M. A., Millons, Carn forth
l. 1877 Talbot, C. H., Esq., Lacock Abbey, Chippenham
1875 Thompson, E. M., Esq., D.C.L., LL.D., F.S.A.,Vice-President,
Principal Librarian, British Museum, W.C.
1885 Thompson, John, Esq., 43 Wood Street, Peterborough
1895 Thornley, J. E., Esq., Nether Whitacre, Birmingham
1886 Tickner, T. P., Esq., 7 Bishop Street, Coventry
1892 Tiltman, A. Hessel, Esq.. F.R.I.B.A, 6 John Street, Bedford
Row, W.C.
1891 Touch, George Alexander, Esq., 26 Compayne Gardens, South
Hampstead, NW.
1875 Trappes-Lomax, Mrs., Clayton Hall, Accrington
1879 Tremlett, Rear-Admiral, Belle Vue, Tunbridge Wells
1874 Tuke, William Murray, Esq., Saffron Walden, Essex
1894 Turner, Geo. Hen., Esq., 35 Roslyn Hill, Hampstead, N.W.
l. 1878 Westminster, His Grace the Duke op, K.G., Grosvenor
House, W.
1875 Weston, Sir Joseph, Dorset House, Clifton Down, Bristol
1845 Woods, Sir Albert, K.C.M.G., C.B., F.S.A., Garter King of
Arms, Heralds' College, Queen Victoria Street, E.C.
1860 Wace, Henry T., Esq., F.S.A., Brooklands, Abbey Foregato,
Shrewsbury
l. 1873 Wake, Bernard, Esq.
1889 Walford, Mrs., 120 Finchlev Road, Hampstead, N.W.
1874 Walker, E. Lake, Esq., 29 Prince's Gate, S.W.
1868 Wallis, Alfred, Esq., F.R.S.L., Regent's Park, Heavitree,
Exeter
1895 b
XV111 LIST OF ASSOCIATES.
1881 Walmsley, Gilbert G., Esq., 50 Lord Street, Liverpool
1872 Ward, H., Esq., Rodbarton, Penkridge, Staffordshire
1877 Way, R. E., Esq., 50 Mervan Road, Brixton, S.W.
1884 Wellby, John 1L, Esq., 1 Sussex Place, Regent's Park, N.W.
1894 Wells, Stewart P., Esq., Milestone House, 212 Denmark Hill,
S.E.
L. 1887 Westlake, N. H. J., Esq.,
1887 Wheeler, Mrs., Hooper's Hill House, Margate
1891 Williams, Charles J., Esq., 10 Trump Street, E.G.
1892 Williams, Edw. Jenkiii, Esq., M.S.A., 15 Queen Street, Car-
diff
1875 Wilson, C. M.j Esq., Waldershaigh, Bolsterstone, near Shef-
field
1884 Winstone, B., Esq., M.D., 53 Russell Square, W.C.
L. 1882 Wolfe, Miss, High Broom, Crowborough, Sussex
L. 1881 Wood, C. F., Esq., M.A., Froyle Park, Alton, Hants.
1885 Wood, Humphrey, Esq., F.S.A., Chatham
L. 1863 Wood, Richard, Esq., Cotfield, Prestwich, Manchester
l. 1864 Wood, R. H, Esq., F.S.A., F.R.G.S., Penrhos House, Rugby
1890 Woollcombe, Robt. Lloyd, Esq., LL.D., M.R.I.A., F.R.S.A.
(Ireland), 14 Waterloo Road, Dublin
1890 Worsfold, T. Cato, Esq., Addison House, Balham Hill, S.W.
L. 1845 Wright, G. R., Esq., F.S.A., Junior Athemeum Club, W.
1859 Wyatt, Rev. C. F., M.A., Broughton Rectory, Banbury
1884 Wyon, Allan, Esq., F.S.A., F.S.A.Scot., F.R.G.S., Vice
President, 2 Langham Chambers, Portland Place, W.
1891 York, His Grace the Archbishop of, D. D., Bishopsthorpe,
York
1876 Yorkshire Philosophical Society, York
XIX
Local Members of tlje Council.
R f W. Money, Esq., F.S. A., Herborough House, Newbury
Berkshire | Dv j gtevenSi Hurstbourne, Alexandra Road, Heading
C II. Sheraton, Esq., 2 Ilighfield Road, Rock Ferry, Birk-
Ciieshire \ enhead
(T. Cann Hughes, Esq., M.A., Town Clerk's Office,
Manchester
Cornwall Rev. W. S. Lach-Szyrma, M.A.
Derbyshire ......... A. E. Cokayne, Esq., Bakewell
n { F. Brent, Esq., F.S.A., 6 Tothill Avenue, Plymouth
UEY0* j Alfred Wallis, Esq., F.R.S.L., Regent's Park, Heavi-
tree, Exeter
n ( Rev. Dr. Hooppell, M.A., Byers Green, Spennymoor
L'URIIAM j J. H. Le Keux, Esq., 64 Saddler Street, Durham
Glamorganshire... Edwin Seward, Esq., 55 Newport Road, Cardiff
„ | J. Dalrymple Duncan, Esq., F.S.A., F.S. A.Scot.
Glasgow | w G Blacki Egq ? F.S.A.Scot.
Gloucestershire A. C. Fryer, Esq., Ph.D., M.A., F.C.S., F.R.H.S.,
13 Eaton Crescent, Clifton, Bristol
Hampshire W. Payne, Esq , Woodleigh, The Thicket, Southsea
Kent Rev. Canon Routledge, M.A., St. Martin's, Canterbury
!The Right Hon. Lord Amherst of Hackney, F.S. A.,
Didlington Park, Brandon, Norfolk
Rev. C. G. R. Birch, Braucaster Rectory, King's Lynn
Northamptonshire J. T. Irvine, Esq., 21 St. Stephen's Terrace, Kirk-
stall, Leeds
c ( Col. James R. Bramble, F.S. A., Cleeve House, Yatton
[Somersetshire ... | E E BakeF) Esq ? F.S.A., Weston-super-Mare
Staffordshire ... C. Lynam, Esq., Stoke-upon-Trent
Surrey B. Hicklin, Esq., Holly House, Dorking
Warwickshire ... W. G. Fretton, Esq., F.S. A., Hearsall Terrace,Covcntry
Worcestershire...
Yorkshire John H. Phillips, Esq., Philosophical and Archaeolo-
gical Society, Scarborough
XX HONORARY CORRESPONDENTS.
Allis, G., Esq., Bail Gate, Lincoln
Barrett, R. B., Esq., Towyn, Santos Road, Wandsworth
Beck, E. W., Esq., 10 Constantine Road, N.W.
Blair, II., Es^., South Shields
Beloe, E. M., jun., Esq., King's Lynn, Norfolk
Bodger, J. W., Esq., Cowgate, Peterborough
Bond, E. A., Esq., C.B., F.S.A., London
Bradley, Miss C, Charlotte Place, Mecklenburg Square, W.C.
Brassington, W. Salt, Esq., F.S.A., Moseley
Brown, Alderman C, The Folly ilouse, Chester
Canhaui, A. S., Esq., Crowland
Chancellor, F., Esq., Chelmsford
Clarke, A. E., Esq., The Old Market, Wisbech
(Jlutterbuck, Rev. R. 11., Penton Mewsey Rectory, Andover
Cole, H. D., Esq., Winchester
Colley-March, Dr. H., F.S.A., Rochdale, Lanes.
Collier, Rev. C. V., Faversham, Kent
Curtis, J., Esq., Canterbury
Curtis, T. F., Esq., 67 Frith Street, Soho
Dallas, James, Esq., Exeter Museum, Exeter
Davis, Cecil T.. Esq., Public Library, Wandsworth, S.W.
Dawe, Ernest R., Esq., Hatfield Hall, Durham
Duke, Rev. T. B. H., Stevington Vicarage, Bedford
Fairbank, Dr., F.S.A., 59 Warrior Square, St. Leonard's
Forbes, Dr. J. Russell, 93 Via Babuino, Rome
Frater, Geo., Esq., The Bank, Wrexham
Gardner, Alexander, Esq., Paisley
Hauce, E. M., Esq., LL.D., School Board Offices, Liverpool
Irvine, W. Ferguson, Esq., 13 Rumford Road, Liverpool
Jones, Isaac Matthews, Esq., City Surveyor, Chester
Knocker, E. Wollaston, Esq., F.S.A., Castle Hill Ilouse, Dover
Lawrence, G. F., Esq., 55 High Street, Wandsworth, S.W.
Le Boeuf, Rev. T. H., Crowland Vicarage, Lincolnshire
Macmichael, J. H., Esq., High Roothing, Essex
Macdonald, Richard, Esq., Curraghmore, Portlaw, Ireland
Morris, Rev. Canon Foxley, Witney Rectory, Oxon.
Nicholson, J. Holme, Esq., M.A., Wilmslow, Cheshire
Owen, Rev. H. T., Valle Crucis Abbey, Llangollen
Payne, G., Esq., F.S.A., The Precincts, Rochester
Peacock, E., Esq., F.S.A., Bottesfcrd Manor, Brigg, Lincolnshire
Quick, R., Esq., The Museum, Forest Hill
Rimmer, A., Esq., Crooke House, Chester
Robinson, F. J., Esq., Gosling's Bank, Fleet Street, E.C.
Rowbottom, G. H., Esq., Manchester and Salford Bank, Manchester
Sanders, Rev. F., Hoylake, Birkenhead
Saunders, W. II., Esq., High Street, Portsmouth
Swann, Miss, 141 Woodstock Road, Oxford
Sykes, Rev. Slater, 27 Havelock Boad, Sheffield
Wells, Stewart F., Esq., .Milestone Ilouse, Denmark Dill
Williams, F. II., Esq., Chester
Wilkinson, J. P., Esq., City Surveyor's Office, Manchester
Winslow, Rev. W. Copeley, D.D.
Wood, J. M., Esq., 113 Balfour Boad, Highbury, N.
Wright. W. Aldis, Esq., M.A., Cambridge.
Wright', W. II. K., Esq., The Free Library, Plymouth
Yates, G. C, Esq., F.S.A., Swinton, Manchester
HONORARY FOREIGN MEMBERS. XXI
^onorarp JTotttgn jWembevs.
Arbellot, M. LAbbc, Limoges
Aidant, Monsieur Maurice, Limoges
Boutelou, Don Claudio, Seville
Bover, Don Joaquin Maria, Minorca
Brassai, Professor Samuel, Klausenberg, Transylvania
Brugsch-Bey, II., Gratz
Cain, Signer Gaetano, Cagliari
Carrara, Professor, Spalatro
Cassaquy, Monsieur l'onein, Seraings-sur-Meuse, near Liege
Cesnola, General Luigi Talma di, New York
Chalon, M. Renier, President of the ltorjal Numismatic Socieety of Belgium
Brussels
Coste, Monsieur, Marseilles
Courval, Le Yicomte de, au Chateau de Pinon, near Cliavignon
Dassy, Monsieur, Marseilles
Delisle, Monsieur Leopold, Hon. F.S.A., Paris
Delgado, Don Antonio, Madrid
Durand, Monsieur Antoine, Calais
Dubosc, Monsieur, St.-Lo, Normandy
Dupont, Monsieur Gustave, Caen
Dupont, Monsieur Lecointre, Hon. F.S.A., Poitiers
Fillon, Monsieur Benjamin, Fontenay-le-Conite
Forbes, Dr. J. Russell, Rome
Formaville, Monsieur II. de, Caen
Gestoso, Seiior Don Jose, Seville
Habel, Herr Schierstein, Biberich
Hefner von Alteneck, Herr von, Munich
Hildebrandt, Herr Hans, Stockholm
Jones, T. Rupert, Esq., F.R.S.
Klein, Professor, Mainz
Kohne, Baron Bernhard, St. Petersburg
Lenoir, Monsieur Albert, Paris
Lindenschmidt, Dr. Ludwig, Mainz
Mowat, Mons. Robert, Paris
Nilsson, Professor, Lund
Reichensperger, Monsieur, Treves
Richard, Monsieur Ad., Montpellier
De Rossi, Commendatore, Rome
Da Silva, Chevalier J., Lisbon
Spano, The Canon Giovanni, Cagliari
Stephens, Professor, Copenhagen
Vassallo, Dr. Cesare, Malta
XX11 EXCHANGE OF PUBLICATIONS.
PUBLICATIONS EXCHANGED WITH
The Society of Antiquaries of London, Burlington House, London, W.
The Royal Archaeological Institute, 20, Hanover Square, W.
The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, the Museum, Glouces-
ter
The Cambridge Antiquarian Society. — Care of I)r. Hardcastle, Downing Col-
lege, Cambridge
The Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Derby
The Kent Archaeological Society, The Museum, Maidstone
The Somersetshire Society of Antiquaries, Taunton
The Sussex Archaeological Society, The Castle, Lewes
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, National Museum, Queen Street, Edin-
burgh
Societe d'Archeologie de Bruxelles, 11, Rue Ravenstein, Brussels
The Society of Antiquaries, The Castle, Newcastle-on-Tyne
The Wiltshire Archaeological Society, Devizes
The Cambrian Archaeological Association, 4 Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.
The Powys-land Club, care of T. Simpson Jcnes, Esq., Gungrog, Welshpool.
The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 7 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin
The Royal Dublin Society, Kildare Street, Dublin
The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S. America.
The Library, Bureau of Ethnology, Washington, D. C, U.S. America
And sent to —
The University Libraries (4). — Care of G. W. Eccles, Esq., 96 Great Russell
Street, W.C.
The Copyright Office, British Museum.
THE JOURNAL
OF THE
Brtttef) Srcijacolocjtcal Association-
MARCH 1895.
THE EARLY OCCUPANTS
IN THE VICINITY OF
THE MERSEY, MOEECAMBE BAY, AND MANCHESTER
BY DR. PHENE, LL.D., F.S.A., V.P.
(Read at the Manchester Congress, 1894.)
HEN Mr. Whitaker wrote his History of
Manchester he laid the real foundation-
stone of British archaeology. Uniting, as
he did, the most diligent plodding with
acute observation and enormous breadth
of mind, he dispersed the very natural
popular idea that this island was held by
savages till the Romans came. I use the word savages
instead of barbarians, as the classical nations were in the
habit of applying the latter term to other nations even
of high civilisation, who simply differed from them in
religions, customs, and in blood. As, for instance, those
around Rome ; who, however, were no sooner conquered
and amalgamated with the Romans than, through their
superior mental and legislative powers, they acquired the
reins of regal sway over Rome itself. In our dictionaries
" savage" and " barbarian" are synonymous.
So far from Britain being in a state of savagery prior
to the Roman conquest, Mr. Whitaker and others have
iby.3 1
U
V
vV
2 EARLY OCCUPANTS IN VICINITY OF THE
shown that both in construction and names the great
roadways of this island were pre-Roman. It will be
readily admitted that making and maintaining roads
was a primal and permanent evidence of civilisation, as
these points included engineering, intercourse, commerce,
and systematic labour. Indeed, it is a general opinion
thai Roman civilisation itself was based upon the making
and maintaining roads, as it will be admitted that nine-
teenth century civilisation also is.
Mr. Whitaker was not alone in these ideas. Writers
of the highest ability, as Mr. Clutterbuck, Mr. Timmins,
and others, express themselves emphatically to the same
effect. I will not trouble you witli that which, however
valuable, you all know through Mr. Whitaker's works,
beyond saying that he refers to the settlement of two
tribes, the Seguntii and the Setantii. These tribes Mr.
Whitaker describes as Gaulish ; the name of one of them
indicates an Italian origin. They appear to have had a
settlement at the mouth of the Dee.
At the opening of the Ship-Canal it need hardly be
asked of Manchester if commercial highways, whether by
land or water, are evidences of civilisation, commerce,
engineering science, and mental power practically
achieved. With all the present scientific acquirements,
that Canal, grand and valuable, is small in the history of
canals. The canals of Asia were extensive ; Babylonia
still bears abundant evidence of such works in connection
with the Euphrates. Persian engineers cut a canal across
the isthmus at the foot of Mount Athos, to let the fleet
of Xerxes pass. The course by Appii Forum, over the
Pontine Marshes, was by a canal. The great canals of
the Lake Moeris, recently brought under notice, the Suez
('anal, and the plans for that at Panama, attest the
value and extent of such works. Whether by such com-
munications or by roads, the great nations of a high civi-
lisation, of remote antiquity, anteceded us. But if this
Canal is small in canal history, it will hold its own
in promoting commerce and intercommunication be-
tween Manchester and the maritime world. In the
wake of such commerce abundance and prosperity have
always figured.
MERSEY, MORECAMBE BAY, AND MANCHESTER. 3
TheKoman appropriation and ada|>tation of such works
was everywhere the same. Mr. E. B. James, Fellow and
Tutor of Queen's College, Oxford, states, " the great high-
way from Asia Minor to the cities of Persia, which crossed
t he Zeugma (£evy/ia) of the Euphrates", " though improved
and strengthened by the Romans when their power was
established through the whole of Mesopotamia, was pro-
bably laid down on the lines which were in use at the
time of the Selucid princes". This is supported by
Merivale and others.
As an illustration of the civilising- tendency of such
ways of communication, the highway just mentioned bore
the remarkable title of the " Road of Peace" (" Zeugma
Latinse Pacis iter"). Even the Roman military roads had
peace for their object, and roads and ways of commerce
have been the greatest civilisers of the world.
On what ground, then, can Britain be excepted ? Or
was Britain an enchanted isle where naked and untaught
savages produced, for mere amusement, works of art with-
out civilisation, played the game of commerce without
having any in reality, and made elaborate roads merely
to burn each others' wigwams ? These roads were no
merely tracks. They were good barrel-roads, and in
swampy districts either raised to a safe level or paved.
They had very peculiar characteristics. A few words
from one writer may suffice. Mr. Robert Clutterbuck
says : "These British roads are so totally distinct from
the Roman causeways which succeeded them, that it is
surprising that so many persons should confound these
works." He then describes them as differing from the
Roman ways by " running through woods or winding up
the sides of hills"; as being " hardly ever drawn in
straight lines", and having a peculiar feature " of being
divided, during their course, into several branches run-
ning parallel with the original road". He then enu-
merates the British roads as " the two Watling Streets,
the Ermine Street, the Icknield Street, the Ikemin
Street, the Ryknield Street, the Foss, and the Salt ways."
Watling Street was direct for Manchester as Mancunium.
Caesar describes many roads of commerce on the Con-
tinent with bridges, which, from their positions and
l-
4 EARLY OCCUPANTS IN VICINITY OF THE
localities, were clearly in the commercial lines of British
traffic, and refers to the maritime importance of Kent
and Sussex, that is, the South-Eastern part of Britain.
Some of these roads can still he traced. In all such
works the ancients were before us in skill as they were
in time. Even Csesar, when he built his celebrated
brido-e over the Rhine, was antedated by Alexander, who
bridged over the Euphrates by the Zeugma above
referred to.
One of the features described of these early roads
of Britain is, that, when occasion required, they were
deeply cut.
There is one part of Europe where the ^re-Roman
roads are so exactly like the old roads of Britain that the
description of these latter by Whitaker, Clutterbuck,
Timmins, etc., would be precisely applicable to them.
These roads are in central Italy, and there is one even
in Rome itself, which, from the exit from the walls
having fallen into disuse, has never been molested. They
are so totally unlike the Roman roads that Mr. Clutter-
buck's observation quoted above may well be applied to
Italy, in which he says, "It is surprising that so many
persons should confound these works."
The greatest authority on ancient Italy mentions this
road. Mr. Dennis says : " The earliest works in Rome
are of Etrurian construction ; this is admitted by all as
to the enormous masonry ; but there is also an example
of an Etrurian road. It is little known, not being used
for carriages. It leads from the Via Cupa. It is the
oldest road near Rome, is cut through the rock to a
depth of 20 ft., and, from being unused, remains with its
original Etrurian features unaltered." Describing a road
near Fiesole, he states : " This marks the site of an
ancient gate, and in the road below it are the remains
of the old pavement — not of polygonal blocks, as used by
the Romans, but of large rectangular Hags, furrowed
transversely on account of the steepness of the road.
Its dissimilarity to the Roman pavement, etc., induces
me to consider it of Etruscan antiquity."
I have entered fully into this subject before the
Association in London, so that I need hardly say more
MERSEY, MORECAMBE BAY, AND MANCHESTER. 5
than that both the descriptions given by others and mv
own surveys show almost counterpart roads recurring
frequently in Italy and in Britain.
But this is almost to assume an early Italian origin for
the roads in Britain, and, if so, there should be attendant
features to support the idea.
In my Paper read at Oxford, I showed that along
these old roads in Britain (I avoid the term British
roads, which might be thought to mean Keltic) were
some very peculiar words and expressions, which were
neither Keltic, Roman, nor Saxon, the very meanings of
which had been lost by the people who used them, that
they consistently adhered to the roads and could be
traced from one extremity of the island to the other.
In a Paper subsequently read by me before the Royal
Society of Literature, I followed these words and found
some of them still in use in Central Italy, and some also
in Scandinavia.
In this I was not alone, Professor Donaldson, of Cam-
bridge, traced some of the words, as well as the people
who used them, from Scandinavia and from Britain along
what he describes as a zone of longitude, to central
Italy, and Professor Huxley identifies a people who were
mobile between Britain and Italy.
Along the same route I have discovered similar works,
both in construction and in fictile ware, to those in
Britain. And the very people that Professor Donaldson
describes had an important stronghold and settlement at
the intersection of some of the old roads above mentioned
near High Cross, barely 50 miles from Manchester. They
were known as the Vennones, and appear to have
retained their independence free from Roman conquest in
the dense Forest of Arden, through which some of these
early roads ran. The names of their settlements can be
traced along the old trade route through Europe to
Italy.
The ancient roads so far described, it need hardly be
said, pass by or near Manchester, if not, indeed, through
the city by means of those curious parallel branches
described by Mr. Clutterbuck, and we are thus brought
face to face with the subject, as these roads, as a matter
6 EARLY OCCUPANTS IN VICINITY OF THE
of course, were traversed by the Vennonese, and the
roads extended to the Tyne and I lumber. The great
ways of traffic to the now" called Bristol Channel, and to
the Irish Sea, by way of the Mersey and the Dee, are
described by the writers referred to; and each inter-
section of such roads, as I have shown in former Papers,
became an entrepot for exchange of the commerce of
these ways. The resting-places still bearing Scandinavian
words indicating such to have been the case.
In a Paper read by me before the British Association
at Leeds, three years ago, I showed a ^re-Pioman com-
mercial occupation of Britain, and, from the contests the
Romans evidently had with a people who persistently
invaded the Eastern seaboard, as mentioned in the
Notitia, clearly by a people who suffered in their com-
merce through the Romans.
The Senones, who had a strong settlement near Oxford,
Sinodun, and who were settled in Scotland at Dun
Sinan, had also a powerful settlement in or near the Isle
of Anglesea. All their settlements, also, were at the
intersection of those ancient roads, and they, as well as
the Vennones, had, no doubt, their trade intercourse
along these roads, and necessarily in the vicinity of Man-
chester itself.
Both these tribes were connected with Italy, either by
nationality or alliance — my impression is by both. Both
were implacably hostile to the Romans, the Senones
being finally annihilated in their attacks on Rome, as an
Italian nation, and driven over the Alps. They are said,
historically, to have left their Northern settlements to
attack Rome, which, under Brennus, they pillaged. They
were defeated at Sentinum, with great slaughter. They
then joined the Latins, Umbrians, and Etrurians against
Rome, but were destroyed, B.C. 283, by Cornelius Dola-
bella, as an Italian nation, and the survivors driven out
of Italy. Their settlements, like those of the Vennones,
can be traced along the old trade route through Ger-
many. Both tribes then went northwards.
The Vennones were assigned by historians to the
Rhastian Alps, but that is the very place the Etruscans
took refuge in after final defeat by the Romans.
MERSEY, MORECAMBE BAY, AND MANCHESTER. 7
The story is inconsistent without the British facts.
Both these tribes had, evidently to escape the Romans,
settled in Gaul, Germany, and Britain.
They appear to have both opposed Caesar in the war
against the Veneti which I have fully referred to in ( In-
Journal. Indeed, it is not improbable that the Veneti and
Vennones were one people, hence their bitter hostility to
the Romans. Knowing that to remain in Britain was to
court slavery or death, they appear to have returned to
Italy to foment the civil disturbances, and it was pro-
bably policy on the part of the Romans, in addition to
the strength of their fastness in the forest of Arden, that
saved the Vennones from destruction.
It is remarkable that the word Arden seems to follow
the Vennones in their various settlements, and can be
traced along the trade route, as explained in the paper
read before the Royal Society of Literature ; thus, side
by side with their settlements, we have Ard, Arden,
Ardennes, Ards, Ardea, and Arda, near their various settle-
ments in Europe ; and here, in Arbury, etc. The old
Italian ardente ; Latin, ardens, burning. These settle-
ments being always near woods, the inference seems clear
that their locations were for smelting ; hence their com-
merce in Britain seems clear ; they were, in short, traders
in metal, abundant on the west coast. The name Sen,
indicative of the Senones, can also be traced through
Britain and Gaul to Central and Eastern Italy.
Polybius (ii, 17) refers to the nations north of the
Alps crossing the mountains for trade with Central
Italy. Amongst those of the Senones, who had not
their locations on the east coast of Italy, the mobile ones
are stated to have had their property in cattle and
metal, gold being prominent. Although they conquered
and took the Tuscan cities, they would not live in them,
as they were traffic trade-route men.
There was, among other features common to the Cen-
tral Italians, one which the Vennones and Latins held
in great importance. The representation of animal forms,
whether deities or otherwise, of colossal dimensions ;
amongst these, as I have shown in my Paper on pre-
Roman works, read before the Association, were the vast
8 EARLY OCCUPANTS IN VICINITY OF THE
serpent, as at Alba Lunga, and the dragon as at Mont
Dragone, almost due east from the vast serpent.
In my Paper at Winchester, last year, I showed the
bifurcation of the tin trade route to the Isle of Wight,
where the stone of exchange, agreeing with that on the
banks of the Loire, still remains ; the great chamber at
Locli M, trimmer being still called the " table of the mer-
chants." Crucibles have been discovered along these
routes, indicating smelting at the depots, probably by
analysts. In the great wood at Anderida, in Sussex, is
an enormous figure of a man. In Berkshire, on the same
route, the well known White Horse ; but the still more
vast sculptured dragon near it has escaped notice. In
Dorsetshire, on the same route, is another vast figure of
a man ; and at Cambridge was a third, on such a branch
traffic route, and two cut as crosses in Oxfordshire,
besides several others.
The horse at Westbury is, in a tradition I have, said
to have been adapted from an ancient figure.
That such vast semblances, whether natural or artificial,
were highly esteemed by the people of the south is clear
from the proposal to sculpture Mount Athos into the
figure of Alexander, and from the enormous dimensions
of the Greek deities.
As there is no nation whose works of such dimensions
still exist, except those in Latium and in Tuscany ; and
as it appears that the settlers here were from the older
tribes of Italy, it is not unreasonable to assume that the
figures in Britain are the work of these tribes. They
exhibit knowledge of proportion, great care in the
selection of sites, and immense forethought in choosing
positions whence the objects could be seen at enormous
distances.
Beyond these points, other indications from settle-
ment, and weapons and implements of similar type found
in their localities, accentuate these views.
Tims, at Holyhead and at the figure in Sussex, similar
remains have been found in stone and bronze. In Holy-
head, Winchester, the Isle of Wight, crucibles ; also, as
to habitations, at Oxford (i.e., the district of the White
Horse), and in the Isle of Wight. Cromlechs and mono-
MERSEY, MOEECAMBB BAY, AND MANCHESTER. 0
liths, sometimes one or other, sometimes both, are at
Holyhead, Winchester, the Isle of Wight, and in Oxford-
shire, and in Kent. Great woods are known to have
abounded in most of these districts.
The same nomenclature can be followed throughout
the same tracks and along the roads ; the commerce was
historically known, and the same uniform hatred of the
Roman arms exhibited.
The names around here, such as Morecambe — i.e., the
long winding, or the great winding ; capped by the Great
Orme's Head — i.e., the head of the great winding serpent
or worm ; the smaller serpent's or worm's head ; Orme's
Kirk, the temple of the serpent ; all speak of foreign
residents and a mythological worship common to Etruria
and Scandinavia.
The word " maen" has been argued to be a sign or
mound, an erect stone, etc., in the name Mancetta. If
correctly so, it may be equally whether Manchester be
derived from it, or from the camp of the Isle of Man oft
the coast ; the word, perhaps, being applicable to the
raised mound or Tinwall, and so given to the island.
The latter would be Scandinavian, the former Keltic. I
by no means dwell upon these, as they have been debated
by antiquarians, beyond pointing out that at least they
are not English, Roman, or Saxon.
Time does not permit going into details upon the
objects found. Some I am able to exhibit ; others, if it
is wished, I can explain. But if the use of " maen" is
correct, it indicates that at Manchester was a great
road-sign, cross, stela, or emblem, in earth or stone, as at
Man-Cetter and the Isle of Man ; i.e., Manchester, or the
camp by the great sign.
It was a custom with eastern and southern nations to
place way-marks along their great roads. These were
succeeded by the Roman milestones. The Etruscans
especially did so, and an Etruscan way-mark may have
stood where Manchester now flourishes. I think this a
more probable derivation than Man, a district. The
mountain called the Old Man, at Coniston in your county,
is clearly a corruption of the term " maen" or landmark.
Its height, 2,633 ft., shows that it was so.
Ill I • A RLY OCCUPANTS, ETC.
A stela, apparently Etruscan, being like some near
Orvietto, till lately stood at Tyneosydd, Llantrisant, in
the Isle of Anglesey, and was moved by the owner to
Trescawen, which name seems a Welsh corruption of the
word " Etruscan".
A remarkable coincidence occurs in support of the
deductions stated. While I have been pursuing, with
areal trouble, these investigations, other workers, un-
known to each other and to myself, havebeen arriving
at similar conclusions from other standpoints and other
evidences. Thus Professor Donaldson arrived at similar
conclusions on philological grounds ; Mr. Evans, of the
A.shmolean Museum, has been tracing the fine art pro-
ductions uniting Britain and Italy in ancient times ; Mr.
Whitaker and others, by roads, camps, and earthworks;
and I by personal inspection of the monuments in Britain,
Scandinavia, Gaul, Germany, and Italy ; their legends
and their lost words.
My observations on the "Vitrified Forts", in the
Journal for 1894, p. 193, as well as the views now_ ex-
pressed, are much strengthened by the repeated disco-
veries of "slag" in the excavations on The Hon. Owen
Stanley's estates at Holyhead, and along many of these
old roads. The slag is of the nature of that found by
me at the vitrified forts.
BRITISH FOOTI'IMNTS
THE OLDHAM MA8TEB KEY.
BY SAMUEL ANDREW, ESQ.
(Read at the Manchester Comjress, 1S94.)
LVKN a tract of country lying lour square,
at each corner of which was once a Roman
station, or other evidence of Roman or
prse-Roman occupation. A Roman road,
known as the Second Iter of Antonine,
which was our great trade-route in
Roman times, runs diagonally through
this tract, and branch-roads, or reeds, or tracks, as well as
some other principal roads, supposed to be of British or
Roman origin, run along the hill-sides, across the valleys,
or sometimes through the brook-courses, giving the map
of this district (which I here present) something of the
appearance of the wards of an intricate master-key. No
note is here taken of county divisions, the corners of four
different counties, Lancashire, Yorkshire. Cheshire, and
Derbyshire, being knit together near the centre of the
tract.
In Roman times this square plot was peopled hy a
portion of that redoubtable tribe of Britons called the
Brigantes. In modern times several great towns have
risen into importance here, chiefly within the present
century, covering what were once the haunts of the
primeval inhabitant. Oldham, the great cotton-spinning
centre, with its forest of chimney-stalks, and its 200,000
inhabitants, is the largest town in the group, among
which may be mentioned Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukin-
field, Hyde,Stalybridge,Mossley,Saddleworth, Middleton,
Bury, Heywood, and at the outlying corners of the plan,
portions of Rochdale, Glossop, and Manchester. For the
reason that Oldham lies wholly within the limits of the
1 2 BRITISH FOOTPRINTS :
map, and in this sense is the town of greatest magni-
tude, for the purposes of this paper I have called the
•■ Master-Key", which I am about to explain after the
name of < Hdham.
Such a tract as I have here described is portrayed on
a section of the Ordnance Survey Map, No. 88, published
in the year 1893 by the Board of Agriculture. To those
who know the district, marks may still be found here of
almost every wave of civilisation which has reached the
British Isles. In some places it is as thickly populated
to-day as any part of Britain, not excepting London ; in
others it is but sparsely peopled, the hilltops and moor-
lands having been deserted as places of habitation, ex-
cept by moor-game and other wild birds and animals,
perhaps since the time of the ancient Briton. Spurs ot
the Pennine chain shoot up in the higher portion of the
district under review, and the whole forms a small part
of the country described by Professors Ehys, Boyd Daw-
kins, and others, as the abode of the Kymry, who for
two centuries stood as a wall of fire between the east and
west, resisting unto death, from a sense of right to the
soil, the encroachments of the all-conquering Teuton.
I have chosen to call this plot the " Master-Key"
because, as a native of the district, and knowing many
of the highways and byways, which I have followed like
the wards in a key, I have had facilities for learning and
studying the natural history of some hundreds of names
of fields, places, hills, valleys, and streams, which classi-
fied and aggregated, and their meanings deciphered, may
form the means of unlocking the door of local history in
other parts of the four counties named, if not throughout
the United Kingdom. I am not aware that this subject
has been previously treated in this manner, and it may,
therefore, be expected that many imperfections will be
found in the details of my scheme ; but I shall be satis-
fied if, as a whole, it helps to dispel the gloom which
broods over the early history of our common country.
Before describing the wards of my "Master-Key", it
mav be stated that the natives of the district still speak
a strong vernacular, rich in archaic words, some of which
may have been in use since the time that language was
THE OLDHAM MASTER-KEY.
13
first used in these Isles, a patois which lias found apostles
in such men as Collier, Bamford, Waugh, Brierley, Lay-
cock, and others, whose songs and tales form a distinct
branch of literature. These archaic words illustrate whai
may be called the permanent conditions <>f mankind, —
babyhood, childhood, and adolescence,— the household,
the playground, and everyday life ; words of love and
hate, of prowess and fear, of endearment and sorrow, of
pastime and common need ; words which seem to have
a charmed life, for, despite the persecution, obloquy, and
neglect of centuries, they have survived in these parts
cult and creed, and even nation and race.
Perhaps the most curious feature about these words is
that we do not generally find them in an English dic-
tionary ; and if we want their original form and meaning
they can only be got from Keltic sources, though the
Kelts were supposed to have been swept out from this
district in the seventh century, over twelve centuries
ago. Such generally accepted words as buss (a kiss),
cayther (a cradle), creeas (measles), will serve as examples
by the way ; but it would require a lengthy chapter to
do justice to this subject. Such words as the three here
named smack of the nursery, and I suppose it was from
the mothers and babes who were left behind in the
general drift of the ancient Kymry that we inherited
such monumental terms.
Now to the " Master-Key". The tract selected covers
some 120 square miles, forming, perhaps, a sufficient
gathering-ground on which to base my theory. In addi-
tion to the evidence of living speech, besides Roman or
British camps and roads, we find scattered over the dis-
trict named other accredited relics of the Romans and
Britons. The leading ward in my "Master- Key" is, there-
fore, entitled " Finds" (No. 1 on map), as being the most
tangible proof of Roman and British occupation. At
some half-dozen different places have been found Roman
coins of silver, bronze, and brass ; at another different
place was found a silver arm of the statue of Victory
with Roman inscription ; at another an earthenware
Roman patera. On different hill-tops, twenty to thirty
in number, though not all quite within the scope of this
14 BRITISH footprints:
map, have been found flint drippings, the remains of
ancient workshops of the stone age. In some half-dozen
different places the ancient Briton has left us polished
stone r.lis as specimens of his working tools. At one
place, different from the rest, was found a quartz arrow-
head as a weapon of warfare; a1 another, a stone hammer
with earthenware urn and calcined bones; at another, a
bronze celt. At several other places have been found
reputed traces of prehistoric metal-workers. These evi-
dences may surely be accepted as certificates that the
area selected was the genuine home ot a past civilisation.
The next leading ward in my Master-Key, though not
as tangibleas the last, shall be named, "Survivals" (No. 2
on map). By this I do not mean that any system of a
bygone economy still survives and is still in operation,
but only that it survives on parchment, traces having
been found in old deeds relating to the district of the
existence of a social policy deemed by competent
authorities to be prehistoric. The " survivals " consist,
then, of evidences of the land system known as the "open
field". Common pasture, common and scattered owner-
ship and terrace cultivation, are said to be the three
leading features and evidences of the "open field". Scot-
land, Ireland, and Wales, as well as many places in
England, furnish proof that the "open field" dates back
to a period when the people were reckoned in tribes and
clans. There are many instances in the parishes of Old-
ham, Saddle worth, and Ashton,the three most important
centres in the district named, of the " open field" system;
and in Oldham and Ashton parishes there still remain
on the surface of the land, if I mistake not, actual
specimens of the relics of terrace-cultivation. This terrace-
cultivation is said to be the oldest system of agriculture
in the world. It finds its highest perfection in the tea-
garden terraces of China, and connects us with one of the
remof esf races of mankind.
Besides these survivals of an ancient land system, we
have other survivals, which I may call survivals of ancient
custom. Mr. Fraser, in his book entitled " The Golden
Bough", proves conclusively that "May e'en" customs
are a relic of ancient tree worship.
THI<] OLDHAM MASTER-KEY. If)
These customs still survive in this district, or did sur-
vive till within Living memory. Another ancient custom,
very popular, is the baking of cakes of oatmeal and some
sweet substance, generally treacle, in November in each
year. In this district, the name of these cakes is
" tharcake", or, more properly, the Har cake. These cakes,
therefore, bring down to as from time immemorial,
if I am right in my assumption, the name of an ancient
deity Har, which Sharon Turner tells us is synonymous
with Odin. The custom is probably, therefore, a survival
of some pagan rite, and is as greatly in favour with boys
and girls of to-day as ever it could have been with those
of any other age. I should not wonder if the ancient
pagans worshipped the November fog under the name
Har, but this requires some proof.
The next ward in my key, No. 3, is the local names of
hills and streams or natural and physical objects, as, for
example : Many of the hills seem to enjoy a generic
name, either in a simple or compound form ; the root-
word, which is traceable to Indo-European sources, is
brun, and in some cases it has retained, evidently from
primitive times, its almost original form, and still retains
it. Over twenty small hills, fairly scattered over the
map, are known by this name in some form, as : Brun,
Brunedge, Brown Edge, Brown Hill, etc. Brun or bron,
signifying the human breast, hence a hill of that shape
is a perfectly natural transition in the mind of the simple
barbarian.
We have also a great number of " Shol " place-names.
I am told its equivalent sciol, siol, pronounced shol, is
used in South Wales to indicate head or skull. We find
the word here in various stages of dissolution, scole, show
and scow, chew, chow, and choo.
Among names of streams we have Tame (Tarn, a river),
Beal, Irk, Medlock (Mcdelache, the full brook) ; and out
of a dozen place-names indicating natural or physical con-
ditions, we find three Dowrys (Divr-y, the place of water
— almost pure Keltic).
In this group, siche or sike place-names have a peculiar
interest. It seems likely to me that this word is a relic
of the old lake-dweller. The modern Welsh word sych —
16 BRITISH FOOTPRINTS :
as sychnant — signifies a dry brook course; and, curiously
enough, I rind these sike place-names generally near a
stream. We have some half-dozen in the Oldham dis-
trict, and seven or eight in Rochdale, as will he seen
from the map. They seem to me to indicate a dry place
in some watery region — as Kalwet Sike, Okeden Sike,
Stenrisiche, etc. I have also found these place-names
near Preston, on the Kibble, and on the hanks of the
Wye in Derbyshire, and I find mention of them in great
numbers in the Whalley deeds. Few, perhaps, will
doubt that the three wards just named ought to belong
to any key which pretends to unlock the door of our
earliest history; but I must ask vou to go a little further,
and look for and expect to find in certain words and
names of places indications of other conditions besides
natural or physical. And so I have selected a group
showing the social conditions of the primeval word-using
inhabitant, and made it to form the next ward, No. 4, in
my Master- Key. To prevent fantastic tricks being played
with the imagination in dealing with such uncertain
things as place-names, we ought to look for a scientific
datum ; and here, if I mistake not, we find it in the
science of origins. I suppose all our great ethnologists
trace back the history of mankind as far, at all events, as
the sib, under which system clans or tribes settled on the
land and dwelt together in a kind of brotherhood or kin-
ship. In the district under review, abounding, as it does,
with reliable evidences of a primeval people, for scientific
proof of traces of the sib, I should appeal to the living
language of the people, which is, I think, taken in con-
junction with certain place-names, sufficient to indicate
the social condition of a former ancient people. The word
I rely on has already been mentioned, and is one which
still retains its ancient form and meaning ; it is the word
sib, signifying blood relationship ; that this word was
once in common use, I have but to name Waugh and
Collier, of local fame, and Spencer and Chaucer, of a
wider reputation. The word sib survives in local records,
as at Rochdale, on the map. It is not sufficient for my
case, however, to prove that the word sib, in general use
over England, was used in the district under review.
i) mi Minimum
1 Ir 6
imniiMiiiiim
- nmwMi unimrt WORKSHOPS ^— — — -— -
Tm^'M. a-ifc^w r™*«a« mil iiiiiiin
_ *_ ' " K^liHJi Tiu^m WtUkKU^*
TTTTTTTTTTmTTTTTTTTn
""'"inn hiii in mi mi nun mi ii hiii nun mi mini i mi ii ii niiiinit
|Itiiiiiiiiiiiiihiiiiiiiii'iiiii
•« " »■■ rf f«' ^j* <•«■ i-« vfc»r«r r
U"'" ■■'nuuimiiauiiiiiiuuiimiuu, , „„„„„„■, ,„„ „„ „,,,, „■„ I
SMbrfOMU;u0..fli*Ml|k'yri
#
THE OLDHAM MASTER-KEY. 17
What we want to find is a series of place-names in the
district which convey the same idea. In the district
under review we have a large estate crossed by the Second
Iter of Antonine and another Roman road. There are
several surviving proofs of the open field on the estate,
with other primeval evidences ; and this place has been
known by the common people from time immemorial as
Wick — it is now written Quick; and this I take to be
the same word as the Cornish gwic, which Dr. Schrader
gives, indicating settlement on common, arable, or
pasture land — the sib village. Adjoining this estate we
have another large stretch of land known as Knott Lanes,
which you will see about the middle of the map ; and,
within a small radius from this point, we have quite a
series of place-names of the Knot tribe : two Knott Hills,
Knott Mill, Knott Booth, Knott Fold, etc. Until Dr.
Schrader's book appeared, there were many guesses at
what the meaning of Knot could be. Dr. Schrader
shows, from Indo-European sources, that this word Knot
evidently indicates blood relationship. He gives the old
High German Chnuot, with which, no doubt, our Knot is
synonymous, and says such words as Chnuot, the Gothic
Knoths, and the Greek gnotos, may have been used in the
primeval period in reference to the sib as a community of
kinsmen. There are groups of other place-names in the
district which probably indicate social or domestic con-
ditions, as, e.g., Yerth ( Yrth), or Garth, and some Tate and
Clark compounds.
If social conditions are indicated in words and place-
names, we may naturally expect to find evidences of
domestic conditions ; and so the next ward in my key,
No. 5, is formed of groups of words which convey some
idea of the home and hearth of the primeval inhabitant.
That he was a troglodyte is a historic fact which none
will dispute. We learn that relics of underground
dwellings are still to be found in various parts of Scot-
land and Ireland. These places were known under the
name of weems, and Mr. MacRitchie shows the origin of
the word to be from the Gaelic naim or team, signifying
womb. In the district under review, scattered over an
area a few miles square, indicated on the map, we find
1895 2
1 8 BRITISH FOOTPRINTS :
some half-dozen places known to-day by the name of
warns, which 1 take to have been original earth wombs,
or living-places, though the ground has been so disturbed
as to efface all traces of human habitation — only the name
remains. Among another group of place-names, about six
in number, in as many different places, I find the place-
name Tong or Tung and Dunk. Dr. Schrader is very
interesting in the history of this word, and shows this
word to mean an underground dwelling, used also for
textile or industrial pursuits. Perhaps the commonest
place-name in the district, occurring over thirty times, is
that of Nook. It occurs in many parts of the United
Kingdom as Knock or Knuck or Knoolc. It is evidently
the ancient Keltic word cnivc, and its original meaning is
a knob or boss of rock, suggesting the idea of rock
shelters. This word nook gives point to Shakespeare's
description of this country in King Henry V, as "that
nook shotten isle of Albion".
Another group of place-names suggests the idea of
construction above ground of domestic abodes, and so we
have a series of booth (bwth) compounds, sometimes con-
tracted into boo or bow, as Boo-hole, Boo-steads, etc.
Place-names indicating industrial conditions form the
next ward, No. 6, in my master-key. As an industrial
people, it is interesting that we have so many evidences
of the ancient tool makers in the district, representing,
perhaps, the oldest workshops and the oldest industry in
the world. See "Ancient British Workshops", some marked
A. B. W., in the top portion of the map, denoting places
where flint-chippings have been found. The fact that the
ancient Britons left us cinder-heaps and other relics of
native metal-workers, connected with the fact that one of
these duly accredited places in the district named rejoices
in the name of Plumpton, where was once an ancient cinder-
heap, strongly supports this idea. Plum, from which is
our word plumber, a word signifying some kind of metal,
perhaps lead, being recognised by Dr. Schrader. Besides
this fact, in the district we have Goff Meadow, or the
smith's meadow. Staniards, probably from the same
source as stanneries, indicating some kind of metal, pro-
bably tin. While Echells Meadow has preserved its
THE OLDHAM MASTER-KEY. 19
Indo-European form almost entire, ecckel being an old
High German word for steel ; we have also one or two
instances of Stell place-names, indicating, probably, the
same metal.
Place-names indicating agricultural conditions, found
at various centres on the map, are very plentiful in
the area of the Master-Key ; and so this group forms
the next ward, No. 7. Survivals of an ancient land
system, as already stated, forming a portion of one of
the wards of my key, may be taken as the scientific basis
of this ward. We find such place-names in different
parts of the district as doles or dols. Werneth (Gwernydd),
Slensides, Clents, Balk-house, Rains or Reeans (had loont
reean surviving in Tim Bobbin, noted on the map), Shude-
hills, Shuts, Butts, and a great number of acres or ackers
and Bongs or Banks. We also find a group of grin and
rig compounds, evidently from grtun, a ridge, being a relic
of terrace cultivation probably, which embraced the
co-operative principle. The root word white is also much
in evidence, which Dr. Schrader says is probably derived
from an Indo-European source denoting wheat, this
cereal probably having had the care and attention of the
primitive tillers of the soil in this district.
Perhaps, however, the most interesting place-names
are those which indicate the religious conditions of the
original word user. These form the last ward, No. 8, in
my master-key. As indicating stone worship, we have
numerous Yarn, Yern, Gam, (torn, Cum or Churn com-
pounds. As indicating well worship, we have numerous
hils (a kil is generally found near to a well, and some-
times joined to the Saxon word wo), cils, or cells as root
words. Ancient legislation in these isles was directed
from the first against these cells as places of pagan wor-
ship or superstition. I find Kilwards-croft, at Rochdale,
the Kil ward probably being a member of the village com-
munity there. Besides these we have several Hallowells,
Ilohjwells, or, by inversion, Welliholes. Indications of
tree worship are found in a number of dean or den com-
pounds, dene indicating in its origin a kind of sacred
grove. Besides these, we have as place-names numerous
cherry compounds, generally associated with a wood or
20 BRITISH FOOTPRINTS : OLDHAM MASTER-KEY.
clough, probably from cerrig, a word which also, in some
of its forms, affords traces of the Christian religion, as
craig and kirk or hirch — alluded to the other night by
Colonel Fishwick ; kirk or larch being a root word found in
some half-dozen places in the area first mentioned.
There are thus eight wards in my Oldham master-key;
and, as I intend it to be used as a means of opening the
closed door of local history elsewhere, I may say a word how
I wish it to be used. Perhaps in few districts will all the
conditions herein named exist. It may be the industrial
will be found to the exclusion of the agricultural or other
conditions; or it may be that the domestic conditions vary
in places where the lake dweller lived and the troglodyte
found his underground abode. What should be looked
for in districts where the ancient Briton flourished are
place-names similar to those found in the distinct covered
by the master-key, or other place-names which may be
grouped under one or more of the conditions named. In
getting at the names of places, it is important, either
that they should be spelt as pronounced in the verna-
cular, or that each word should be traced back to its
original form in the earliest deeds. In this way, the
history of place-names will be put on a basis more or less
scientific. Much light will be thrown on the meanings of
place-names as evidences of the condensed thoughts and
observations of those who first used them, expressing
some underlying fact. 1 may say that I have applied this
master-key with some success to the district of which
Baddon Hall, in Derbyshire, forms a centre; and I have
no doubt, from what I know of the place-names of other
districts in the north of England, that, dealt with in this
manner, they will form an excellent gauge of the progress
of the people from the time when most of the natives
must have been cave-dwellers or worshippers of stocks
and stones.
REMINISCENCES OF VISITS TO SEGONTIUM
(CARNARVON).
BY HARRY SHERATON, ESQ.
(Head 17th Jan. 1894.)
URING the last twenty-five years I have
frequently visited this interesting place,
and having been requested to record my
experiences I now proceed to do so.
Segontium is understood to have been
the favourite residence in Britain of
the Roman Emperor Constantine. His
palace is said to have occupied the present site of the
Vicarage of Llanbeblig, and in the Vicarage grounds, in
time past, there have been discovered golden and other
ornaments, which, no doubt, had belonged to the Imperial
family. The Vicarage and grounds are on the inside of
the old Roman walls of what I conclude was the mili-
tary station. These walls are still to be traced on the
four sides of a parallelogram, with the usual rounded
corners which indicate their Roman origin, as also does
the very hard, massive concrete work of the walls still
standing.
The ancient British name of this city or station was
" Caer Cystenyn", i.e., Constantine's Camp, in contradis-
tinction to a camp more recently discovered on the high
bank facing the river Seiont, when some old buildings
were pulled down, revealing a Roman wall of consider-
able extent and height. This was called " Caer Seiont",
and, no doubt, from its three-sided, squared shape, and
being open on the fourth side to the river, was for pro-
tection to the shipment of copper and lead ores from the
districts of Snowdon, etc.
22 REMINISCENCES OF VISITS
Adjoining the upper camp, " Caer Cystenyn", on the
west side and north-west corner, are two deep wells of
water, one of which is called " Helen's Well", and now
used; the other is flagged over,and, judging from a descrip-
tion given to me hy a man on the spot, is well worth a
careful examination. The description reminds me of a
finely finished well in a garden at the farmhouse at Bin-
chester (Binovium), near Bishop Auckland, county Dur-
ham, which I examined about eight years ago.
Last June, 1893, when I visited Segontium, I was care-
fully examining a portion of the old Roman wall on the
west end of " Caer Cystenyn", and discovered a small
portion of the original face that had escaped being robbed
for building stone. The building stones of this face were
of the shape most commonly used by the Romans, and
as they generally selected the hardest material obtain-
able, were of millstone grit, consequently hardly affected
by the 1,700 years (more or less) exposure to the weather.
This is very interesting as giving a correct idea of what
the exterior of the Avails was like before the face was
robbed, with much difficulty, for building stones.
On leaving this for the train I noticed the digging of
foundations for two new houses, and on inquiring whether
any Roman remains had been found, was told that a
well, 16 ft. deep, was found filled up with pottery, etc.
The pottery consisted of broken pieces of fine Samian
ware and large amphorae, the handle of one of which 1
saw was very large, and had stamped upon it the letters
LSP . no ; and I regret that I did not succeed in obtain-
ing the handle for exhibition, in order that some one
may have recognised the abbreviated letters. How-
ever, I was presented with several pieces of fine Samian
ware and two fibulae, both in bronze. One is a fine
specimen, shewing enamel, and is very perfect, having
been gilded, and thus preserved from decay in a great
measure. The other is much corroded, yet it bears clear
marks of enamel.
1 named this to a friend who was to have that day
met me at Segontium, but did not reach until two days
later, and then he visited the places I have just named
as well as these diggings. He was lucky enough to pick
TO SEGONTIUM. 23
up in the soil a small and very perfect figure, in bronze,
of Cupid, 2 in. long, finely executed.
I forgot to mention that, after examining the diggings,
the men said there was a Roman drain at the back of the
place. On looking, I found it 2 ft. below the surface, in
the shape of the letter V, and made with two slate slabs
from the neighbouring quarries, and a flat piece on the
top. In this part the earth was black, and evidently the
debris of a great fire. My impression is that as this
drain is coming down from higher ground, if any founda-
tion should be hereafter dug on the higher ground, some
remains of a Roman villa or villas may be found.
I may also remark that two fields away, on the south-
east corner of " Caer Cystenyn", about 1 ft. more or less
beneath the surface of the grass, is a Roman paved road
running in the direction of the present gasworks, which
are on the bank of the river Seiont ; the section of this
paved road is observable in the precipitous bank of the
brickworks beyond the Infectious Hospital. This road
was brought to light on the digging of the foundations
for this hospital. When examining this road in June
1893, I found on the line of it a curious very long iron
nail almost entirely corroded ; and, on trying to project
the course of the road in the direction of the mountains,
I met with a very intelligent workman who gave me
general information as to the Roman road, and shewed me
what was called the old foundations of a former Roman
bridge across the river, that had been destroyed several
years ago as being dangerous, but, from its appearance,
on minute observation, I should rather consider it was
an ancient British foundation of a bridge afterwards
utilised by the Romans. I now come to the Church ot
Llanbeblig, which is at the east end of " Caer Cystenyn",
and adjoining this Roman road. Years ago, I read in an
old book that, at the time of King Edward's coming to
Carnarvon, there were discovered in the Vicarage grounds
the remains of St. Peblig or Beblig, the ancient British
name of Publicius, a nephew of Constantine, and the
king caused them to be reburied with great pomp in
Llanbeblig Church. I afterwards visited the church, but,
on enquiring of the sexton, I could gain no information ;
24 REMINISCENCES OF VISITS TO SEGONTIUM.
I therefore examined the interior carefully, and found in
the wall behind the pews, on the south side of the south-
western corner of the transept, a recess, which I con-
cluded as most likely to be the receptacle of St. Publicius'
remains ; and, as the church was in a bad state of repair,
I looked forward to the time ere long that it might be
restored, when a careful search might be made for the
remains. On the 1st October 1893, I was informed that
Llanheblig Church was being cleared of the old gallery
and pews for the long looked-for restoration, and went to
inspect the operations, and found, first, that the old
porch had been stripped of lath and plaster, and revealed
a fine old oak porch, which I hope will be restored to its
original style. In the church, the walls reveal many
curious niches, etc. In one of the walls was found a very
interesting monument in hard stone, which, from its
peculiar size and general appearance, I have little hesita-
tion in pronouncing to be St. Publicius. This, no doubt,
at some period has been removed from over the remains
of St. Publicius, and placed in the position in the wall
where just found. The place which I suggested as the
probable deposit of the remains of St. Publicius will be
shortly examined before several archaeologists, when I
hope we shall be rewarded for our perseverance.
As the lath and plaster were removed from the church
ceiling, a very fine massive oak roof was revealed. Over
an old window head was placed a sepulchral slab of hard
stone, which has a well-defined incised cross with a long
shaft upon it ; this, I hope, will be removed for examina-
tion, and afterwards placed in a more appropriate position.
I may here remark that, in the name of Segontium, we
have another instance, among many, of the Romans
adopting ancient British names and giving them a
lloman finial ; thus, Seiont, the name of the river, be-
comes Segont — Segontium. In like manner, at the pre-
sent village of Aldborough, Yorkshire, the Iseur of the
ancient Britons became the Isurium of the Bomans on the
River Eure. Many other instances may be mentioned.
SOME BYPATHS OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR
IN LANCASHIRE.
BY KEY. J. H. STANDING, M.A.
>ter Congress, Aug. lb I
HE traveller who desires to make himself
fully acquainted with the nature of the
country through which he is passing
must not confine himself to its highways.
With a view to a better knowledge of
the history of the Great Civil War I ask
you to follow me into one or two of its
bypaths in this county.
Very early in that war the policy was adopted by the
Parliamentarians of providing themselves with the neces-
sary means to carry it on by the confiscation of the
estates of their opponents. This was set forth in a
Declaration of the two Houses of Parliament in Septem-
ber 1642 ; and by Ordinances promulgated the following
year committees were appointed for the several counties,
invested with very large powers for the purpose. A
Committee from the House of Commons and the Lord
Mayor and Council of London, which had been consti-
tuted originally with the object of raising money to pay
the Scots, became the General Committee for the Country.
and is known as the Committee for Compounding.
There was much laxity, however, on the part of the
local Committees, and complaints were frequent as to
the way in which their business was conducted, although
strong efforts were put forth to stimulate their action,
and fresh regulations were made from time to time. At
length, after the Second War, the Goldsmiths' Hall Com-
mittee, as the General Committee was called, was recon-
structed, and the County Committees were dissolved.
The Goldsmiths' Hall Committee were then directed to
26 SOME BYPATHS OF THE GREAT
appoint in their place " so many persons inhabiting in
every county, city, and place, as have adhered to the
Parliament from the beginning of the Wars to this day,
to be Commissioners for Sequestrations in their respective
counties, as also such other officers or agents as shall he
necessary for the carrying on of the service "; and these
( lommissioners were to sequester the estates of all Papists
in arms and other delinquents, and two-thirds of the
estates of all who had been previously adjudged Papists
or delinquents. Peter Holt, George Pigott, and Robert
Cunliffe were appointed a Committee for the county
of Lancaster, and Peter Ambrose, " on presentation of
Colonel Birch," was appointed agent. (The Commis-
sioners, I may add, were to keep courts, receive fines,
etc., and to have 12c?. in the £ salary, the agent's
remuneration being 28.9. per week, which is equivalent to
about £300 a year now.)
Messrs. Holt, Pigott, and Cunliffe were nut satisfied
with the arrangement. " We shall not be wanting",
they wrote from Preston, April 3rd, 1650, "to advance
the service, but unless we have necessary officers we
cannot act. Mr. Ambrose says he is unable to undergo
the burden of the sequestrations within the whole county,
and that having hitherto only been employed as one of
four agents within one hundred, it has been as much as
he can undertake ; and, indeed, our county being very
large, and the sequestrations numerous, without our
officers formerly recommended to you on 20th February,
when we took off half the number, the service will be
slighted. We, therefore, commend the enclosed list of
officers, and desire your order for their acting." They
enclosed a list of eleven persons proposed to be receiver,
clerk, auditor, agents, and messenger to themselves.
Whether the work was too great or not I cannot say,
but the County Commissioners sent up no money to the
Treasury at London ; and when, on July 2nd, the Com-
mittee at Goldsmiths' Hall wrote to complain, the reply
was that Mr. Ambrose was so overwhelmed with work
that he had not yet had time to " perfect" his accounts.
On this, John Case's services were added to those of
Ambrose, "and that", said the superior Committee, "is
CIVIL WAR IN LANCASHIRE. 27
as many as are allowed in any place." Nearly five months
elapse, and then, November 19th, the County Commis-
sioners wrote again, " We have several orders to send up
speedy accounts. We have done our best to get them
from the late and present agents, and should have sent
them, but those of Peter Ambrose, whom you appointed
our agent-general, were defective. We sent for him to
perfect them, but lie replies that he is going to London.
When we first told him of your naming him agent-
general, after taking time to consider, he replied that as
one of the four agents in one of the six hundreds here for
seven years past, he had been so overburdened that he
had never been able to perfect his accounts. The late
auditor for agents' accounts in this county, and Captain
Samuel Birch, entrusted by the soldiers to view the
agents' accounts, declare that he is £20,000 in arrear.
We endeavoured, in a Christian private way, to show him
his neglect and persuade him to vindicate his character
as a Christian by perfecting his accounts. We hear from
Colonel Birch that he has returned large sums to London,
not telling us, though all sequestration moneys should be
paid to us. He has lately sent two sons to New England,
and seems to intend leaving the country without per-
fecting his accounts. If he tender any to you, we beg
that they may be sent down here for examination, and
that, as he is in London, you will take security from him
to perfect them." The Committee ordered (December 5th)
"that Peter Ambrose, Sequestration Agent of County
Lancashire, bring in his accounts within two months."
But evidently Ambrose made his own representations
to the Committee, for, we find them writing, four days
later, to the County Commissioners, "Mr. Ambrose says
you urge him to receive the sequestration revenues as
treasurer. We wonder at this, your instructions being
to choose one of yourselves, nor have we power to allow
of any other." But although the Committee declared that
one of the County Commissioners must be treasurer, they
did not refuse money paid in direct by Ambrose, so that
we need not wonder that the complications continued.
They ordered him (24th April 1G51) to forthwith send
up an account on oath, but he seems to have considered
28 SOME BYPATHS OF THE GREAT
himself master of the situation, for we find the County
Commissioners writing again, May 9th, "We will send
our accounts as soon as we can get those of last year from
Mr. Ambrose. . . . Though Peter Ambrose promised
to bring in his accounts for Derby Hundred in two
months, be is very dilatory. As he complained of the
multiplicity of his business, we gave Wigan and Orms-
kirk parishes, by his consent, to William Eccleston, to
whom he promised particulars as to letting, but we found
them posted by Ambrose and Eccleston at different rates,
which led to confusion ; and when we requested him to
let those parishes alone, he refused, and said he would
leave his employment unless he might have the whole,
nor would he act for the stipend allowed by you, 9th
December. We, therefore, appointed John Case for that
division, and we desire you to authorise him." At last
the patience of the London Committee, who seem to have
played off the County Commissioners and the Agent-
General one against the other, was exhausted, and on
June 3rd they imposed a fine of £40 upon Ambrose for
not bringing in his accounts. On the same day they
wrote to Mr. Squibb, who, though one of their number,
seems on occasion to have had special work deputed to him,
begging him to advise the Commissioners touching him.
The infliction of the fine was not without its effect. The
County Commissioners wrote, July 11th, that Mr. Ambrose
had got to his accounts more seriously, and had promised
not to leave off until they were perfected, which would
take him two months. " They would be delayed," they
say, " if we imprisoned him"; but they add, significantly,
" After he has brought them in you can dispose of him as
you see cause." The Committee replied that, as they
wished to give all reasonable time to Mr. Ambrose to
make up his accounts, they would respite for two months
the restraint ordered on his person, on good security for
his forthcoming. Mr. Ambrose, however, did not com-
plete his task, and the County Commissioners thereupon
committed him prisoner to the garrison at Liverpool.
Shortly after, the plague appeared there, and the prisoners
were removed, and Mr. Ambrose was allowed to take his
departure. He went home, not to perfect his accounts,
CIVIL WAR IN LANCASHIRE. 29
however, but to continue his old practices, for the County
Commissioners complain, February 4th following, that
" since then we have heard nothing from him, but lie still
goes on, by his agents, in levying and collecting arrears,
and not paying anything into the treasury here, or giving
us any manner of account of his actions." What was to
be done with such a man % Evidently he was one too
many for the County Commissioners. But the London
Committee were determined to have a reckoning. " Re-
commit Ambrose forthwith," they wrote, March 3rd,
1651, "till he perfect his accounts ; enquire what he has
received since his last enlargement, and levy it with £20
fine ; warn the tenants to pay no more to him or his
agents, and, in case they are forced to pay, levy the same
again upon them by distress." Poor tenants ! And what
a state the country must have been in for them to be so
treated !
A second time, accordingly, Mr. Ambrose found him-
self in prison. But how then, he asked, could he perfect
his accounts ? The plea did not avail him. On May
20th is written a letter : " Committee for Compounding
to Peter Ambrose, late agent for Lancashire. You make
your imprisonment an excuse for non-delivery of your
accounts — a weak pretence, since you have been most
gently used. But if they do not come within a month,
we shall send for you by a Serjeant-at-Arms, and repre-
sent your refractoriness to Parliament. Your conduct is
a scandal to your profession of conscience and religion."
In less than a fortnight this was followed by an order to
him to perfect his accounts in a week, and that the Com-
missioners levy what he owes on his estate. Another
order followed to the same effect between three and four
weeks later, and yet another a month after that. A fort-
night more elapsed, and then the London Committee
write to the County Commissioners : " We find, by
Ambrose's letter, that he has done nothing towards his
accounts, though so often pressed. Let him be kept in
safe custody till he give good security to perfect them by
Michaelmas (this letter was written August 4th), which,
if not done, his securities are to be proceeded against."
I cannot trace Mr. Ambrose's doings for a time, but,
30 SOME BYPATHS OF THE GREAT
June -1st following (1653), he had gone to London to
pass his account, taking Mr. Case with him, and the Com-
mittee ordered that he do not depart from town till it is
finished. The auditor found that, on his accounts for the
year 1650, he owed no less than £1,200, and that, with
another account considered, he owed the State £1,842,
and the Serjeant-at-arms was directed to take him into
custody till he gave security for the payment of this
amount* On September 20th following, lie was ordered
to be released for a month on his own bond for £2,000 ;
and on October 28 th he was ordered to be released on
payment of fees, Major Wigan having bound himself in
£1,000 for his appearance on summons. This Major
Wigan I know little of, but it appears that he had
bought from Peter Harrison, who had been solicitor for
sequestrations in Lancashire, the arrears of salary which
were due to him, and he had also had to do with the
farming from the Commissioners of the College in Man-
chester, so I suspect he had had transactions with
Ambrose which laid an obligation upon him, or made it
desirable, for his own sake, to become security for him.
What ultimately became of Ambrose I do not know.
He seems, after this, to disappear from the proceedings
of the Committee for Compounding. But I may give
you another instance of his dilatoriness (to call it by no
other name) in paying over sums that he had received.
Lady Elizabeth Stanley, widow of Sir Robert Stanley,
who married again and became Countess of Lincoln, had
had settled upon her and her sons by William Earl of
Derby, a rent-charge of £600 per annum, of which £100
was charged upon the manors of Lathom, Childwall, and
Dalton, which were sequestered from the Earl of Derby.
The payments having fallen into arrear, the Lancashire
( 'ommissioners permitted the Countess's agents to receive
the profits, giving account as they should be required.
The Countess's trustees were Mr. Cony and Mr. Gar-
land, who employed Mr. Ambrose as their agent. On his
being called upon to render his accounts, it appeared that
for six and a-half years ending 25th March 1652, he had
received £4,598, and had paid £3,357 10s., there thus
being in arrear no less a sum than £1,241.
CIVIL WAR IN LANCASHIRE. 31
All this time there was another set of troubles afflicting
the Committee.
On June 30th, 1G50, a long-boat from the Isle of Man
captured, near the Irish coast, a ship called the Mary, of
Liverpool, on board which were silks and stuffs and other
wares of the value of upwards of £327, belonging to one
Robert Massey, of Warrington. These were taken to the
Isle of Man, and about twenty-three tailors were set to
work to make garments of them. Mr. Massey appears to
have set himself to have his revenge. On February 4th,
1651, he was appointed Sequestrator for Lancashire. But
Messrs. Holt, Cunliffe, and Pigott, who had been already
appointed, would have nothing to do with him. The
London Committee, however, were determined that he
should act. After some preliminary skirmishing, they
wrote, October 22nd, 1651, a peremptory letter to enforce
obedience, calling, at the same time, upon the Local
Commissioners to render their accounts in three weeks,
as they were '' much unsatisfied in some particulars".
To this the Local Commissioners replied through Mr.
Cunlifte, who was in London. Their letter to him runs
as follows : —
"1651, November 7th, Preston. — County Committee for Lan-
caster to Robert Cunliffe, at the Bell, Friday- street. — We have
seen your letter to [Evan] Wall, but, as we have not met till now,
we could not answer. If it be still pressed by the Committee for
Compounding that Mr. Massey must act with ns, you must repre-
sent to them the following reasons for our not joining with him : —
"1. It is reported that not long since he compounded with his
creditors, and it will not only prejudice the service if such be
employed, but the couutry will say that the business is carried on
by men of broken fortunes, which will be a scandal to us all.
" 2. If we join him, we shall be made responsible for any moneys
which come to his hands out of the profits of sequestrations during
his employment. Our instructions directing that one of ourselves
must be treasurer, and that we all must be responsible, we dare
not engage our estates upon such a hazard as that of joining with
him, if it should fall upon him to be treasurer.
" 3. If the Committee for Compounding authorize him to act with
us, out of their sense of some defects in us, and that three are not
able to carry on the work, then we desire they will add two more
to us instead of one, so that, if we differ in judgment, business may
not be retarded by opposing two votes against two, but that there
may be a casting vote,
32 SOME BYPATHS OF THE GREAT
• 4. Upon the last advance of the Scotch King, with his forces,
into this county, Massey was very adverse and backward in the
service, and denied to pay or provide the men and money charged
upon him by the Militia Commissioners, and, being nominated by
them to raise a foot company for the defence of the county, he
absolutely denied the employment, and returned his commission,
alleging that he could not leave his trading, though it was at a
time when the well affected could not possibly make any benefit
of their trade, and scarcely durst open their shops.
" 5. At the Scots' coming to "Warrington, his wife and family
were seen openly to rejoice, and many of the enemies' com-
manders were very well entertained there, rather as friends than
enemies to them.
" If, notwithstanding all this, the Commissioners authorise him
to act with us, then move that our accounts may be presently
audited, and that we may be discharged of our employment ; for we
are resolved, either to join with those with whom we may cordially
act, or to give up our accounts for the time we have been
employed, and leave the work to such as they please to appoint."
This at first staggered the London Committee, and
they suspended Mr. Massey for a short time. But he
denied the charges brought against him, and in the end
was re-instated. Nevertheless, the County Commis-
sioners still declined to act with him. Mr. Holt died,
and Mr. Pigott and Mr. Cunliffe were discharged from
their office for persisting, though, apparently, not con-
tinuously, in their refusal. To show in what strange
courses events ran, we have, on June 1st, 1652, an order
of the Committee for Compounding, " on resuming the
debate between the Commissioners of Lancashire and
Mr. Massey — Mr. Pigott refusing to act with Mr. Massey,
and the former Commissioners having written to say they
would rather beg their bread than act with him — that
the present Commissioners be laid aside, but that they
continue to act till further order." (On the same day is
an "Order on information that Peter Ambrose, late
sequestration agent for Lancashire, has received large
sums for which he refuses to account, that he perfect his
account in a week, and that the Commissioners levy
what he owes on his estate.") But, on the 18th day of
the same month, appears an order that Robert Cunliffe,
George Pigott, and Robert Massey be Commissioners
for County Lancaster, followed, July 2nd, by another
CIVIL WAR IN LANCASHIRE. 33
appointing- with these Edward Aspinwall, while, on
August 13th following, George Pigottwas dismissed from
office, Mr. Cunliffe being discharged not many months
later for refusing to act with Massey because he was to
be treasurer.
In what I have brought forward, there is evidence
enough to show in what a deplorable state of confusion
matters were with regard to the management of
sequestrations. I may give here two letters which prove
this still further. The first is from the Lancashire
Commissioners to the Committee for Compounding, and
is dated from Wigan, November 18th, 1651. It runs
thus : —
"You long since authorised Edward Morley to be Steward of all
Courts kept upon any sequestered estates here, but we receive
complaints that in most places they have no Courts at all,
whereby the common nuisances between neighbours are not only
unredressed, but the public much prejudiced for want of present-
ments of the death of tenants, of delinquent landlords, which
cannot be prevented by any other means than the keeping of
Courts, unless we should continually make new surveys of their
leases. Some few Courts are kept by his substitutes, but so care-
lessly that the inhabitants complain that, when they have attended
on the days appointed, they have waited all day, and neither the
steward nor his deputy ever came. Pray revoke your grant to
Mr. Morley, and we will see that the Courts are better kept."
The next is from the Committee for Compounding to
Henry Wrigley, High Sheriff for County Lancaster, and
bears date November 25th, 1651 : —
" The County Committee for Lancaster complain against your
officers for distraining tenants for rents and rent charges on
sequestered estates. We understand you have returned the money
levied, but the officers detained their fees, which are very extra-
vagant. The State should not pay, nor should the tenants ; they
are required not to pay any such rents without our allowance,
Parliament having entrusted to us the examination of such charges.
You must require the officers to return those fees, or you must
appear here in 14 days to show cause of your refusal/'
Professor Gardiner, in his History of the Great Civil
War, takes the story of a single family, the Verneys, of
Claydon, as a sample of the miseries weighing on many
1S95 3
34 THE GREAT CIVIL WAB IN LANCASHIRE.
hearts which combined to produce an ardent longing for
peace as the only possible relief. In like manner, I would
call attention to the doings which I have been setting
before you as a sample of wrongs and injustice which con-
tributed largely, as it seems to me, to the same result.
Public plunder had for its proper companion private
peculation. As it is put in a letter of July 1652, with
reference to the misdeeds of those in another county
(Berks), "They cry out, The State, the State, but their
private interest is their Diana."
NOTES ON THE
IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING THE RECORDS
AND LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALES,
AS ILLUSTRATED BY SOME RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
BY W. DE GRAY BIRCH, F.S.A., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM,
HON. SEC.
(Head ldth January 1895.)
"As ye find a notable antyquyle, let it anon be imprented,
and so brynge it into a nombre of coppyes, both to their and
youre owne perpetual fame." (Bale, quoted by Francis in
his Original Charters of Neath.)
LTHOUGH Wales is — according to some
who are apt to speak without much re-
flection— a geographical expression only,
which ought soon to be done away with,
the more one examines the antiquities of
Wales, whether literary, architectural, or
domestic,the more one becomes impressed
with the distinctive character and national peculiarities
that take them up at once into a section of our imperial
history proper only to themselves.1 Much has been done
in recent years in the way of disseminating a knowledge
of the original antiquarian materials still extant which
relate to this romantic portion of Great Britain, hut
much remains still to be done; and it is doubtful whet her
any real progress will ever be achieved in dealing with
the great bulk of Welsh evidences of every kind unless
1 For example, the epigraphy and paheography of AVales cannot be
explained by a knowledge of English epigraphy and paheography.
86 PRESERVATION OF RECORDS AND
a separate state machinery can be set in motion to cany
out so important and attractive a work.
With regard to the literary antiquities we all, I am
vine derived considerable satisfaction at the report made
public during the autumn, that a deputation of gentle-
men interested in the preservation of Welsh historical
documents had held a conference with the Welsh Mem-
bers of the House of Commons, at which they had
pointed out that a large number of valuable documents,
bearing not only on Welsh but on English history, are in
existence, some of which are in danger of being lost
beyond recovery unless steps are taken to prevent such
a misfortune. They strongly urged the appointment by
the Government of a qualified person to examine into
and make catalogues of such documents. Sir J. T. Hib-
bert, M.P., K.O.B., Joint Secretary to H.M. Treasury,
was present at the conference in company with others,
and without definitely pledging the Government in this
matter, he promised that the representations made at
the conference should be favourably considered. The
result of this conference has been, I believe, the appoint-
ment of a Royal Commission consisting of several influ-
ential and learned persons well known in the world of
letters, charged with the duty of inquiring into and re-
porting upon the propriety of taking action in this
behalf.
It is no new fancy that has led modern men to discern
the value of such records. As long ago as the year 1825
the late Sir Thomas Phillipps, a man of the highest lite-
rary abilities, and the collector of the finest private
library of manuscripts in existence in Great Britain at
the time of his decease (a pursuit to which he devoted
I lis whole time, and nearly the whole of his ample means),
took the opportunity of declaring, in his edition of A
Book of Glamorganshire Antiquities, by Rice Merrick,
Esq., 1578, which he most appropriately dedicated to
Thomas Burgess, D. D., Bishop of Sarum, and before that
of St. David's, "I dedicate this work to one who has
been so instrumental in rousing a spirit of investigation
into the antiquities of Wales, and who has supported
that spirit by his example until, as I trust, it has fixed
LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALES. 37
itself so firmly and spread itself so widely amongst the
inhabitants of Wales in general, as not to cease until
every record of that ancient kingdom shall be published
which may throw the least light upon its history I
intend to prosecute my researches amongst the concealed
treasures of Walts, and bring to light, in his original
language, every unpublished author of that nation who
may be worthy of publication."
Further on in the same work Sir Thomas wrote, "I
determined to print fifty copies of it that it might be
rescued from the chance of destruction by fire or some
other fatal cause. This is a plan which I should be glad
to see adopted with regard to all unpublished manu-
scripts at the British Museum, the Bodleian, and other
public Libraries ; for it is disgraceful to possess the easy
means of multiplying copies which printing affords, and
not to use those means for preserving scarce manuscripts.
I could wish that the Government, which pays more
attention than it did formerly- — although an illiberal
public cramps its exertions — would issue orders that
every manuscript in the British Museum, of which only
one copy is known to exist, should be instantly printed
in the exact words of the original."
This was penned by Sir Thomas Phillipps before the
inauguration of the series of chronicles and memorials
known as the Master of the .Rolls' Series, which, during
a course now unhappily arrested from motives of eco-
nomy, has effected something in this direction ; but the
work has been done very perfunctorily in some cases, and
the scope of the Series was not sufficiently elastic to
enable many forms of records to be dealt with. The
periodical issues of Societies such as the Cymmroclorion,
the Cambrian Archaeological Association, the Welsh
MSS. Society, the Powysland Club, and other anti-
quarian bodies, have also achieved something in the
way of lightening the load ; but a far more carefully
and systematically organised endeavour must be made
before any real and even perceptible effect can be pro-
duced.
To the old Royal Cymmroclorion Society belongs the
honour of having first inaugurated a Catalogue — in-
PRESERVATION OF RECORDS AND
complete and deficient in conception as it is— of the
Welsh manuscripts and manuscripts relating to Wales,
preserved in our great Library of* the British Museum.
The Catalogue itself, in manuscript, with a large number
of other manuscripts of considerable value relating to
this part of the kingdom, was presented to the British
Museum in 1833-4, at a period when the dissolution of
the Society (now happily reconstructed) was impending.
This Catalogue is now numbered 15,088 among the Addi-
tional MSS° It is entitled "A Descriptive Catalogue of
all Welsh Manuscripts and Documents relating to the
Principality of Wales, preserved in the different Libraries
of the British Museum. Formed agreeably to Instruc-
tions from the Royal Cymmrodorion Society. By James
Logan, F.S.A., of Scotland, and Corr. Mem. S. A. of Nor-
mandy." I cannot find that it has ever been committed
to the press, and thereby made available in many cases
of need ; but if the executive of the new Society would
commission some one well acquainted with the method
of using our numerous catalogues and registers, to re-
model the original Catalogue made by Mr. Logan, and to
incorporate with it the many and priceless additions
acquired during the sixty-one years that have now
elapsed since it was made, thereby bringing it up to date,
and have it printed, the study of the history of Wales
would receive a vital impetus fraught with good result.
A similar proceeding should be adopted with regard to
the manuscripts at H.M. Record Office, those mentioned
in Sir T. D. Hardy's Catalogue of MSS. relating to
British History, and those already calendared by the
Royal Historical Commission, on which I shall take occa-
sion presently to make a few remarks. The proposed
ethnographical, archasological, and photographical sur-
vey, under charge of the Cambrian Archaeological Asso-
ciation, deserves every encouragement, but should we
not also have, first of all, a survey of the literary remains
of Wales, which are more perishable than types of man-
kind and massive edifices '{
One or two works of very recent production dealing
with the MSS. of Wales may be instanced as examples
of the utility and importance of the subject to which I
LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALES. 39
have drawn attention. The Ancient Laws of Wales,
viewed especially in regard to the Light they throw upon
the Origin of some English Institutions, hy the late Mr.
Hubert Lewis, B.A., has been edited a few years ago by
Mr. J. E. Lloyd, M.A., lecturer in English and Welsh at
the University College of Wales, Aberystwith, and pub-
lished by Mr. Stock in 18.9*2. This is a monograph of
labour and research, being an attempt to trace in the
local institutions of mediaeval and modern England some
vestiges of a state of society similar to that described in
the Welsh laws. Of these laws, some of which appear to
me, as a layman, to partake of an academic and theo-
retical rather than an actual and practical kind, there are
three codes or varieties of the " Laws of Hywel Dda", to
one or other of which almost all the existing manuscripts,
of which a goodly number is known to be extant in
various places of deposit, must be assigned. Sir T. D.
Hardy enumerates, in his Catalogue of MSS. (vol. ii, pp.
622-4), eight codices of the Venedotian or Northern
Welsh Laws, sixteen Dimetian or Western Welsh, six
Gwentian, four anomalous, and three " Leges Wallica3
Latine."
Whether all the regulations laid down in these juridi-
cal codices were ever current and enforced in practice, and
by officers armed with powers to punish non-observance,
and at what time, is a matter demanding still further
research, as the author does not vouchsafe much definite
information on the point. Mr. C H. Compton contri-
buted to the Congress of the British Archaeological Asso-
ciation at Llangollen, in 1877, a useful paper on this sub-
ject of the Welsh Laws. It is printed in the Journal
'for 1878, vol. xxxiv, p. 436.
Probably one of the best edited Records of Wales is
the recently issued Text of the Book oj Llan Ddv, — a
manuscript better known to antiquaries as the Liber
Landavensis, — reproduced from the original MS. at
Gwysaney, in Flintshire, by J. G. Evans, Esq., Hon. M.A.,
and John Rhys, Esq., M.A., Professor of Celtic in the
University of Oxford. This was privately printed last
year and issued to subscribers only. No copies of this
work are, I believe, now to be procured. The MS. was
40 PRESERVATION OF RECORDS AND
not consulted, we are told, by the Welsh MSS. Society
in their preparation of the earlier edition of 1840, which
was based on later transcripts, and consequently con-
tained occasional readings different considerably from the
parallel passages in the archetype, which the owner, Mr.
P. B. Davies-Cooke, of Gwysaney, placed in the hands ot
the two above mentioned Editors for publication. In
this work are restored — for, with an original MS. in hand,
it is difficult to go wrong and easy to detect the faults of
others — the original words of the precious Register or
Chartulary of Llandaff, from the fifth to the twelfth cen-
turv, the first handwriting being attributed to the early
date ot circa 1150. The first edition, by the Rev. W. J.
Rees, in 1840, was based on a transcript made by Robert
Vaughan in 1G60, now preserved at Peniarth among the
collection known as the " Hengwrt MSS." (No. 157), a
most valuable library of Welsh historical MSS., of which
I am able to show a few photographed leaves on this
occasion. This collection, which belongs to Mr. W. R. M.
Wynne, of Peniarth, it may be said en passant, deserves
a careful and exhaustive examination at the hands of a
competent librarian ; its contents are at present only
known through the medium of a very meagre account
among the appendices of the Historical MSS. Commis-
sioners' Reports. There is also an older and nearly com-
plete transcript, made in ]612, among the Cottonian
MSS. in the British Museum. From this, Mr. G. T.
Clark, F.S.A., of Talygarn, printed the earliest Glamor-
ganshire charters in his Carta' de Glamorgan, some
notice of which will be found further on in this article.
Now, however, the original manuscript has been made
available to those students who are sufficiently fortunate
to obtain an opportunity of perusing the book, and this
is due, in a great measure, to the liberality of our former
President, the Marquess of Bute, whose devotion to
ancient literature and fostering patronage of ecclesiastical
and ecclesiological antiquities is well known to all. The
few typographical errors and departures of the editors
from their own rules are not difficult to be put right ;
and they may also be the more readily forgiven for
imputing wrong readings to others, as it would be easy
LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALES. 41
to convict them of the same occasional delinquency
themselves.
Another privately printed work of utility is that
entitled A Descriptive Catalogue of the Penrice and
Margam Abbey Manuscripts in the possession of Miss
Talbot, of Margam, with Introduction and Notes by
W. de G. Birch. First series, 1893 ; second series, 1894.
In this are contained full descriptions of nearly eleven
hundred ancient deeds relating to Glamorganshire, and
chiefly to the district of Gower, the landed estates of the
great Cistercian Abbey of Margam, near Neath, and the
real properties, by patrimony and purchase, of the families
of Penrice, Mansell, and Talbot, ranging, in point of date,
from the eleventh to the eighteenth century. A. third
series, which carries on the contents to nearly two
thousand documents in all, and an index, are already
written, and when they are printed during this year by
Miss Talbot's instructions, a work will be completed which
is indispensable to Welsh antiquaries and to students ot
the chequered fortunes of South Wales for seven centuries.
It is both curious and instructive to trace the fortunes
of the Margam Abbey manuscripts. One precious volume
saved from the wreckers of the Dissolution is a fine copy
of the Domesday Book Abbreviated, now preserved among
the Arundel MSS. of the British Museum, No. 153.
Another, a yet finer and more valuable codex, written
late in the twelfth century, contains the Gesta Reguru et
Pontificum, of William of Malmesbury, the famous his-
toriographer (whose patron was Robert of Gloucester, the
founder of Margam Abbey), and the Historia Begum Bri-
tannia' of Geoffrey of Monmouth, a name venerable beyond
compare to the enlightened and patriotic Welshman. This
also finds a safe abiding place in the British Museum
among the MSS. of the Boyal Library (No. 13 D. 11).
The Record Office Breviate of Domesday Booh (which is
distinct from the Abbreviatio mentioned above), a manu-
script described by me in detail in Domesday Studies of
the Domesday Commemoration in 1886, vol. ii, p. 500,
also takes its origin in South Wales, possibly Swansea or
Cardiff, and was, apparently, at one time, in possession
of the noble, powerful, and wealthy family of Braose.
42 PRESERVATION OF RECORDS AND
The Charters of Margam Abbey range from the first
establishment of the little hermitage of Pendar, "the
hill clad with oak woods" (lineal descendants of the ante-
diluvian Silva which lies deep down below our feet at
every step we take on the adjacent littoral from Neath
to Kenfig, and from the heights of Aberdare to far
beyond low- water mark, on the sand -blown shore),
to the dissolution of the Abbey and grant of its site.
These deeds form probably the most complete original
series in existence relating to one monastic establish-
ment. Strange to say, they seem to have been divided
into two portions, or, if the whole number of them passed
into the possession of Sir Rice Mansell, to whom the
abbey site was sold by the Court of the Augmentation
«»t' the Revenues of the Crown not long after the Dissolu-
tion, a large number must have been surreptitiously
removed from Margam, and these eventually found their
way into the careful hands of the noble collector of the
Hurley Library of the British Museum, for our national
collection contains nearly one hundred and fifty deeds
which dovetail in date and contents with the more ex-
tensive collection belonging to Miss Talbot. The two
collections, taken together and amalgamated by Mr. Clark
in the w7ork referred to above, probably represent nearly
tlif whole contents of the muniment presses of the abbey
at the time it ceased to be the one great and glorious
monastic edifice of the county. Or it may be that the
portion in the possession of the Trustees of the British
Museum represents a kind of specimen selection, made at
haphazard, which was brought to London and laid before
the officials appointed for the conduct of the sale of the
lands of the dissolved religious houses and the Court of
Augmentations ; while, on the other hand, the portion at
Margam passed, with seisin and possession of the site
and I mi Mings of the monastery, into the good keeping of
the first lay owner of the property, Sir Bice Mansell.
These deeds are exceedingly rich in references to the
aoble families, ecclesiastical dignitaries, landed pro-
prietorSj English and "Welsh, the officials and the promi-
nent personages who figured in their transient turns
throughout the annals of Glamorganshire. Among these
LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALES. 43
parchments which all-devouring time has spared for us
to-day are Papal Bulls and Privileges to the Cistercian
Order in general and to the abbey in particular ; royal
charters of Henry II and succeeding monarchs of Eng-
land, deeds illustrative of the history of the neighbour
abbey of Neath, the Priory of St. Michael of Uggomore
or Ewenni, and the opulent abbey of Tewkesbury, m
Gloucestershire, which held a considerable estate of lands
in these parts. The names of the witnesses, every one
of whom has been preserved in the Catalogue, comprise
members of almost every family known to the historian
of this district of the Cambrian realm. The monks of this
abbey— and I think we may say the same for other
Welsh abbeys— do not appear to have compiled any large
Register Books or Chartularies (although Rice Merrick
speaks of the Eer/ister of Neath, now missing) after the
English and Scottish manner, but they caused their
charters, privileges, grants of lands, and rents, quitclaims,
releases, confirmations, agreements or compositions, con-
ventions, exchanges, and other deeds relating to the
transfer of land and the litigation which occasionally
ensued, to be neatly copied, sometimes in an abridged
form, into small vellum rolls. These were capable, on
account of their convenient dimensions, of rapid and
effective concealment or easy deportation if, at any time,
the safety of the institution were jeopardised — as was
sometimes the case— by the guerilla incursions of the
sacrilegious and audacious men of Breconshire and other
hostile bands of lawless marauders who, from time to
time, swooped down suddenly from the northern hill
country to harry the most fertile and more civilised dis-
trict on the southern littoral of the county. Thirteen
rolls in all, falling under this category, are extant, con-
taining abstracts, or transcripts, of two hundred and
eighty-seven charters.
'There are many charters of the other Welsh counties
which deserve similar treatment by the compilation of a
descriptive catalogue, and the number which a careful
searcher would glean from the Record Office Polls is very
great : a propos of the Record Office, a well written
article, entitled " Documents relating to Wales at H.M.
44 PRESERVATION OF RECORDS AXD
Public Record < )flice, by R. Arthur Roberts, Esq., being
an Address delivered at the < >rfice, 23 May 1889, during
tin' London Meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological
Association", appears in the Arckceologia Cambrensis,
vol. vi. Part xxiv. p. 293 (October 1889).
Among the more important documents at the Record
( office then exhibited or spoken of were the Patent and
( Hose Rolls of King John ; the Forest Roll, 55 Henry III ;
the Plea-Rolls of Flint, 12 Edward I ; an early Roll of
Welsh Matters ; Welsh Rolls, 6-10 Edward I ; Court-
Rolls of Ruthin, 22-24 Edward I, and 6-7 Elizabeth;
Rolls of the Justices in Eyre, 35 Edward I and 15 Henry
VII; the Recognizance Rolls, 2-5 Edward I, and 7-8
Elizabeth ; Indictment-Rolls, 1 Henry IV to 10 Henry V,
of Chester and Flint; Plea-Rolls of Brecon, 34 Henry VIII;
Ministers' Accompts, Henry III to Henry VII ; a Regis-
trum Munimentorum, early in the reign of Edward I,
being a Register of public Documents relating to Wales,
and having some early portraits of Welshmen ; Treaties
of Peace between King John and Llewellin ap Iorwerth
in 1102; Repairs at Cardigan Castle, 6 John; "and
thousands of similar Rolls." In like manner the Rotidi
II a llice, printed by Sir Thomas Phillipps, deserves to be
better known, and to take another and ampler form.
The late Sir Watkin W. Wynn, of Wynnstay, near
Ruabon in North Wales, Bart., and M.P., possessed, and
kindly showed to me, in the year 1877, during our Con-
3S at Llangollen, of which he worthily filled the office
of President, a large collection of deeds connected with
Llewellin, Prince of North Wales, and some bearing the
seal of that Prince, as well as many others relating to
the Abbeys of Valle Crucis, Strata Marcella, Dore, Cym-
raer, Conway, and others in the neighbourhood of his
estates. Sir Watkin also allowed me to exhibit to the
Congress members, at an evening meeting {Journal, vol.
xxiv), a fine Codex, written in the fourteenth century, of
the Welsh lawgiver, Ilywel Dda, and a selection of other
MSS., sufficient to show how valuable his collection
would be if the contents could be given to the world bv
means of an accurate catalogue.
The Historical MSS. Commission, to which attention
LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALKS. 45
has already been drawn, lias examined, according to the
Return of their Reports and Appendices, printed 27th
June 1890, the following collections of Welsh Records and
Papers, viz., those in the possession of:—
1. Miss ( lonway ( Irit'tith .
2. Captain James Stewart
3. Colonel Myddleton Biddulpli
4. Mr. Whitehall Dod
5. Lord Mostyn .
6. Sir Richard Puleston, Bart.
7. Mr. W. W. E. Wynne .
8. The Earl of Powis
Anglesey.
( lardiganshire.
1 >enbighshire.
',.■
Flintshire.
Merionethshire.
Montgomeryshire.
A total of eight collections out of a probably vastly
greater number.
As I gave a tolerably long account of the most im-
portant MSS. in the British Museum relating to Wales
in a Paper which was printed in the Archceologia Cam-
brensis for 1889, it is unnecessary to reproduce it here.
During the last six years the Museum Department
of MSS. has acquired a further number of valuable
records, among them being the Inquisitions relating to
the Laws and Customs of Wales from the time of
Edward I to Henry VII ; the Orders for the Court in
the Marches in the time of Elizabeth ; Instructions to
the Lord President and Council, 1574 ; Writs relating to
Wales, from Elizabeth to Charles II ; and Proposals
relating to the Laws in 1651.
Some of the Chronica of Wales deserve critical examin-
ation, and a more comprehensive editing than they have
yet received. There are, for example, the Annates de
Margam, ranging, in point of date, from a.d. 1066-1232,
which were published by the late Rev. Dr. Luarcl, in
1864, in the Rolls Series, and formerly by Gale in the
Hist. Angl. Scriptores. Hardy, in the Catal. of MSS.,
iii, 77, gives a short account of this record, and points out
that some of the notices contained in it are not found
elsewhere. For example, the exact date of the murder
of Prince Arthur, 3 April a.d. 1204, is given by no other
author.
The Chronicle of Wales from a.d. 1066-1298, which is
written at the end of the Exchequer Domesday Bool: in
46 PRESERVATION OF RECORDS AND
H.M. Record Office, has been printed in the Archaologia
i 'ambrensis for 1862 (3rd Ser., vol. viii, p. 272 et seq.).
This was probably compiled in one of the religious houses
of Morganwg o/Gwent, for events relating to Margam,
Neath, Tint ern, Goldcliffe, and other Monasteries occur;
and there are notices of the Bishops of Llandaff and
St. David's, several of which will prove valuable to the
student of Welsh history. Hardy seems to confuse it
with MS. Harl. 3959 and Cotton MS. Domitian A. 1.
The Harley MS. 838,fols. 96-117, is a very respectable
paper copy of an ancient Chronicle of South Wales, appa-
rently founded on earlier chronicles of general history, on
which is grafted an early Chronicle strongly related to
that given in Harley MS. 3859, fol. 189/> et seq.
This latter Ancient Chronicle has been edited by Mr.
E. Phillimore for the Cymmrodorion Society, and the
Editor has taken care to show up, in a footnote, the mis-
takes of Sir Samuel Meyrick and another who had pre-
viously published its text. Here, as in the case of the
Editors of the Liber Landavensis, one may say that for
two or three Editors to depreciate the works of others
who have laboured previously in the same field, for inac-
curacy from which they themselves can be shown to be
not altogether free, does not help the forward progress of
any literary research. From the year 954, when this
MS. ends, to a.d. 1298, the Harl. MS. 838 seems to
resemble the Exchequer MS. in many but not all respects.
drawing also upon the Margam Annals, as far as they
reach, as to substance, but not in identical language. The
Annates Cambria, which rest on an Irish Chronicle, and
have been attributed to Blegewryd, Archdeacon of Llan-
daff, one of the most learned men in all Cymru, were
edited in 1860 for the Rolls Series, by the Rev. John
Williams (Ah Ithel). They range over the period from
444-1288. The Brut y Tywysogion (681-1282), written in
Welsh, attributed toCaradoc of Llancarvan,who flourished
in the twelfth century, edited in the same year for the
Series by the same author; and probably a few other
MSS. of the same kind, would form a nucleus of work for
a new Society devoted to the publication of Welsh histo-
rical antiquities, that would not fail to appeal to a wide
circle of students.
LITERARY ANTIQUITIES OF WALKS. 47
The Governors of the Welsh School in London pre-
sented nearly a hundred manuscripts of ancient Welsh
poems and Englynion to the British Museum in 1844.
Their titles and descriptions will be found in the printed
" List of Additions " for that year. The same year, the
old Cymmrodorion Society presented a much larger series
of somewhat similar MSS. This great collection ot
Cymraic anthology, which would have been a splendid
nucleus for a Welsh national library in a conveniently
accessible Welsh town, it matters not whether in the
north, south, or midland of Wales, is, for the most part,
still unpublished, waiting, as it were, to be called back
to life by the magic waving of the printer's composing-
stick.
It has been left to munificent private enterprise to
produce such monumental works as that of Mr. G. T.
Clark, F.S.A., of Talygarn — a name of which not only
Glamorganshire antiquaries may well be proud, but one
ever dear to the British student of ancient military
remains — entitled Carta et alia Munimenta quo ad
Dominium de Glamorgan pertinent. This is a series of
four thick quarto volumes, comprehending in two series
many hundreds of, in fact, almost all available, records
relating to the lordship of Glamorgan, perhaps the most
interesting in all Wales, from the variety of its fortunes
and the exalted position of the many lords whose appan-
age it constituted, from the antememorial period of
a.d. 440 down to late mediaeval years. Such a work as
this, could it but be set on foot for every county in
Wales (and there is no reason why it should not), would
go far to put the local, tribal, and family history of the
principality on a satisfactory basis. What one antiquary
has shown to be a possible and practical result of unas-
sisted application, another, or others in collaboration,
ought to find no difficulty in emulating.
There are in the British Museum, and, I doubt not, in
other repositories, many charters and copies of charters
relating to Pembrokeshire, some of which were pointed
out by Mr. E. J. L. Scott, M.A., keeper of the Depart-
ment of MSS., to the members who attended the Tenby
Congress in 1884, and afterwards printed in our Journal,
48 PRESERVATION OF RECORDS, ETC.
Similarly, among the Hutton Collections in the Harley
Library of the British Museum is a small series of early
Brecknockshire deeds (Harl. MS. 6976), which might he
supplemented by vigorous research in other quarters.
The above notices are only specimens of what might
be said of almost every place of importance in Wales.
The records exist, but want the care of a qualified person
provided with the consent and encouragement of the
owner, to reveal the facts to which they point, and to
make them useful to all, as well as by so doing to enhance
their value to the owners. Were this done, new facts in
Welsh history would be elicited to astonish every one
who studied to carry out what is now often an unsatis-
factory research because of the want of knowledge of
these very records. I believe that there are prominent
men and prominent bodies in Wales deeply imbued with
public spirit, who would willingly co-operate in the pro-
duction of a series of ancient records of Wales, not only
with their purses, but, what is perhaps more valuable, by
throwing open their collections to the editor and the
printing press when once the demand for instruction in
these particulars becomes general. It is with the object
of drawing attention to the existence of these literary
remains scattered in various places, often forgotten, un-
studied, and frequently neglected and uncared for, and
rendering any assistance in my power to the end that
they may be taken note of before it be too late, that I
have made these remarks on this occasion.
THE EARLY DEEDS RELATING TO THE
MANOR OF MANCHESTER,
NOW IN THE POSSESSION OF THE CORPORATION
OF THAT CITY.
BY J. P. EARWAKER, ESQ., M.A. F.S.A.
(Read at the Manchester Congress, 1894.)
FE W years after the grant of a charter of
incorporation to the town of Manches-
ter, which took place in 1838, the Cor-
poration entered into negociations with
Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart., the lord of
the manor of Manchester, for the pur-
chase of the manorial rights. Early
in the century, in 1808-9, other negociations had been
started for the purchase of these rights, but the Com-
mittee who had the management of the affair con-
sidered that the price asked, £90,000, was at that time
excessive, and so the negociations were given up. But
between that time and 1845 the town had increased
largely in size and importance, and when £200,000 was
named as the purchase-money for the manorial rights, it
was ultimately agreed, on the 2nd July 1845, to give
that sum, and it was finally arranged that a small portion
should be paid at once, and the balance by yearly instal-
ments of £4000. The last of these annual payments
takes place in the autumn of this year, 1894, when the
Corporation of Manchester become the absolute lords of
the manor of Manchester.
Shortly after this arrangement was come to, the old
Court Leet Records were handed over to the Corpora-
tion, and with them a number of early deeds relating to
the manor of Manchester, going back to the beginning
of the 14th century.
1890 4
50 EARLY DEEDS RELATING
The Court Leet Records, -which begin in 1552, the last
year of the reign of King Edward VI, have recently been
printed by the Corporation of Manchester in a series of
twelve octavo volumes, under my editorship. The pub-
lication of these volumes has thrown much interesting
light on the history of Manchester during the time of
Queen Elizabeth, the Stuart kings, etc., down to modern
times ; and the enterprise of the Corporation in having
them printed has been flatteringly commented upon
by the chief literary and archaeological journals. Sub-
sequent to these volumes, the Corporation was at the
ex [»ense of printing three volumes of the old Constables'
Accounts of the manor of Manchester, which they had
been fortunate enough to acquire, so that all the Records
in their possession, after the year 155*2, are now available
for historical students in a printed form.
The packets of early deeds which came with the Court
Leet Records were placed in the muniment room, where
they remained for many years till I was allowed the
opportunity of examining them a short time ago. I then
drew up a short Report upon them, which has recently
been printed.
"Short Report on the Early Deeds in the Possession, of the
Corporation.
"The valuable original deeds in the possession of the Corporation
are about 80 in number, and relate almost entirely to the manor
(>t Manchester and lands lying within that manor. They are all in
Latin or Norman French, and some of them are of considerable
length. They consist : —
"1. Of documents connected directly with the many and
various settlements of that manor, made from time to time in
the 14th and 15th centuries by the families of the de la
Warres and the Wests, successively lords of Manchester, by
virtue of which the manor was held in trust by many dis-
tinguished personages .such as Prince Henry, Cardinal of
England in L430 ; John, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1450 ;
II. in y Percy, Earl of Northumberland ; and others.
'■ '2. I If very many grants of lands within the manor by the
successive lords from the year 1312 to 1553.
I )f leases of lands within the manor within the same
period.
To many of these deeds the seals of the grantors are still attached,
some of which are of much interest.
TO THE MANOR OF MANCHESTER. 51
" It may be said with certainty that none of these documents
have ever been printed, and that they were quite unknown to
Mr. Earland when he printed his Mamecestre, or early records
relating to Manchester, some thirty years ago. They not only
supply some very valuable additions to what is there minted, but
they help to correct many of Ins statements, which are inaccurate
or untrustworthy for want of the information contained in these
very documents."
I then took the opportunity of urging upon the Cor-
poration the advisability of having these valuable old
deeds placed beyond the risk of loss by being printed,
and suo'eested that this might be done in the form of an
octavo volume, uniform with the printed volumes of the
Court Leet Records, and containing a history of the
manor of Manchester in early times. I wrote : —
"They well deserve to be printed, and should it be decided to do
so, they should be treated as the basis of an account of the " Early
Bistory of the Manor of Manchester between the years 1300 and
1553 " on the following lines : —
" 1. All these deeds to be arranged chronologically, and
printed, not in the original Latin or Norman French, but in
careful translations, with all necessary annotations and ex-
planations. By this arrangement they would fall into groups
under the heads of the successive lords of the manor between
the years 1300 and 1553, when the Court Leet Eeeords
commence.
" 2. The account of each of these successive lords of the
manor of Manchester should be made as complete as possible
by printing other documents, relating to them, to be found in
the Public Eecord Office, London, the British Museum, and
in other public and private collections. For many years past
I have made notes of any records referring to Manchester,
and all such as related to the manorial history should be
transcribed and printed in this book, together with others,
which further and more extended researches would un-
doubtedly bring to light.
" The result would be the publication of a very interesting and
complete account of the early lords of Manchester (of whom so
little is really known) which would very fittingly appear under the
authority of the Corporation, the present lords of the manor, and
based on the original documents in their possession.
" Such a history would make an octavo volume of some 300
pages, uniform with the Court Leet Becords and the Constables'
Accounts, the cost of which would be similar to those, and which
could be got ready and printed in about twelve months."
4-
52 EARLY DEEDS RELATING
I am in hopes that the interest with which this Report
has been received in many quarters, may lead to this
volume being printed, in which event all the old records
relating to the manor of Manchester from the year 1300
to the present time will then have been published.
Early in the 14th century the manor of Manchester
was in the possession of the old Norman family of
Gresley or Grelley, but, on the marriage of Joan Grelley,
the daughter and heiress of Thomas Grelley, with John
Lord la Warre, it passed into the possession of that
family, where it remained for some generations. One of
the earliest deeds in the possession of the Corporation is
the " Fine" of the Manor of Manchester and the advow-
sons of the churches of Manchester and Ashton-under-
Lyne, by Thomas Grelle to John la Warre and Joan his
wife, dated 1309-10. A translation of this document is
as follows : —
"Fine of the Manor of Manchester and the Advowsons of Man-
chester and Ashton, by Thomas Grelle to John la Warre
and Joan, his wife.
" This is the final agreement made in the Court of the Lord the
King at Westminster in the Octave of St. Hilary, in the 3rd year
of the reign of King Edward, son of King Edward [1309-10],
before William de Bereford, Lambert de Trikingham, Hernis
(Hernico) de Stanton, John de Benstede, and Henry le Scrop,
Justices, and other faithful people of the Lord the King then there
present. Between John la Warre and Joan his wife, plaintiffs,
and Thomas Grelle, deforceant, of the manor of Mancestr and
the advowsons of the churches of the said vill and of Ashton near
Mancestr. Whereupon a plea of covenant was summoned
between them in the said Court, that is to say, that the aforesaid
Thomas acknowledged the aforesaid manor and advowsons with
the appurtenances to be the right of him the said John, as those
which the said John and Joan had of the gift of the aforesaid
Thomas. And for this acknowledgment, fine, and agreement, the
said John and Joan have granted to the aforesaid Thomas the
aforesnid manor, etc., and those to him returned in the same Court.
To hold to the said Thomas of the said John and Joan and the
heirs of him the said John, during the whole of the life of the said
Thomas, yielding thence yearly one rose at the feast of the
Nativity of St. John the Baptist for all services, customs, and
exactions to the said John and Joan and the heirs of the said
John belonging, and to the chief lords of the fee the services to the
said manor and advowsons belonging. And after the death of the
TO THE MANOR OF MANCHESTER. 53
said Thomas, the said manor and advowsons with the appurte-
nances shall wholly revert to the said John and Joan and the heirs
of the said John quietly from the heirs of the said Thomas, to hold
of the chief lords of the fee by the services belonging to the said
manor and advowsons for ever."
In 131:2 and subsequent years, John la Warre is
described ns lord of the manor of Manchester, and in that
capacity he made grants of land to many persons, the
boundaries of which are in many cases set out in full
detail, with the names of those local persons who were
present as witnesses. In 1330 his son and heir apparent,
John la Warre is mentioned, together with his wife
Margaret, daughter of Sir John de Holland, Knt., and a
settlement of certain manors in the south of England was
then made, in which John de Cleydone, parson or rector
of the church of Manchester, is named. By another deed,
dated the same year, 1330, the manor of Manchester and
lands there and in Ashton are referred to.
John, Lord la Warre, the first lord of the manor of
Manchester of that name, died in 1347, and in the
Inquisition post mortem, taken after his death, it is shown
that his son and heir apparent, John la Warre, had pre-
deceased him, and that he was succeeded by his grand-
son Roger la Warre, who was then eighteen years of age.
And, accordingly, in the following year, 1348, we find a
grant of land in Manchester made by Roger la Warre,
lord of Manchester. Many other similar grants occur,
two of which, dated 1357, are sufficiently interesting to
quote here. One of these relates to the grant of the
hamlet of Openshaw to the family of the Booths of
Barton, a family which, in this and the following century,
gave many distinguished men to the church, two of whom
tilled the high office of Archbishop of York, and others
held bishoprics, deaneries, canonries, etc., in various parts
of the kingdom. This deed is as follows :
" Grant of the hamlet of Openshagh, from Roger la Warre, Lord
of Manchester, to Thomas de Bothe and Robert, his son, for
their lives.
" To all, etc., Roger la Warre, Lord of Mamecestr, sends greeting
Whereas, we lately demised to Thomas de Bothe and Thomas dil
ffere, the hamlet of Openshagh, with its appurtenances. To have
54 EARLY DEEDS RELATING
and to hold for the term of the life of them, upon this condition,
that the same Thomas and Thomas should surrender to us the
hamlet aforesaid {sup' hoc ijd'm Thorn' & Thorn' nob' sursu' reddi-
deru't hamellu' p'oVc'm). Be it known that we have given and
granted to the said Thomas de Bothe and Robert the son of the
same Thomas, the hamlet aforesaid, with all its appurtenances.
To have and to hold for the term of the lives of them the said
Thomas and Robert, yielding therefore yearly to us and our heirs,
2bs. Sd. at the usual terms for all services and demands. So that
after the decease of the said Thomas and Kobert, the said hamlet
with its appurtenances to us and our heirs wholly shall revert.
With clause of warranty.
"Given at Mamcestre at the feast of St. Margaret the Virgin
[July 20] 31 Edward III [1357]."
(Seals gone.)
The other deed is of special interest, as it has an early
reference to Smithfield, now the great Manchester
market, one of the largest in the kingdom : —
" Lease of a place of land called Smethefeld, from Lord Roger la
Warre to Richard son of Robert, for 20 years.
"This indenture witnesseth that Lord Eoger la Warre hath
demised and to farm let to Richard son of Robert, one place of
land formerly called ' Smethefeld', which he formerly held for a
term of years, whereof 3 years are unexpired. To hold to him and
his assigns from the end of that term for 20 years thence next
following, yielding therefore yearly to the said Lord Roger and his
huirs 4s. at the usual terms by equal portions.
With clause of warranty.
" Given at Mamecestre on Wednesday next before the feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross [Sept. 14] 31 Edward III [1357]."
Seal.
Roger la Warre was dead in or before the year 140:^
in which Thomas Lord la Warre, clerk, occurs as lord of
the manor of Manchester. This was the celebrated
Thomas la Warre, who was Rector of the Church of Man-
chester, and who made that building into a collegiate
church, with John Huntingdon as its first Warden. This
was in L421, and in 1427 Thomas Lord la Warre died,
when the manor of Manchester passed to Joan la Warre,
who married Sir Thomas West, third Baron West, and
thereby caused I he manorial rights to become vested in
that family. This Sir Thomas West was then dead, hav-
TO THE MANOR OF MANCHESTER. 55
ing died on the 19th April 1405, leaving a son and suc-
cessor, Sir Reginald West, Knt., who was summoned to
Parliament on the 5th July 1427 as sixth Baron de la
Warre.
In the year 1430 there is an interesting deed in this
collection relating to the manor of Manchester, which
mentions many distinguished persons who were appointed
trustees. This is as follows : —
" Appointment of Attorneys by Reginald West, Lord la Warre,
to deliver seisin to Prince Henry, Cardinal of England, and
others, of the Manor of Manchester, etc.
" Be it known, etc., that 1 Reginald West, knight, Lord la
Warre, have assigned and in my place constituted my beloved in
Christ 'Edmund Trafford, knight, William Wynard, John Henage,
Thomas Ouerton, and Richard Hue, my true and lawful attorneys
jointly and severally to deliver for me and in my name to the
eminent Lord and Prince, Henry, Cardinal of England, Bishop of
Winchester, William Earl of Suffolk, Robert Lord de Wylloughby,
Nicholas Thorley, William Bonevyle, Thomas le Wekenore, Giles
Daubeney. knights, John Westbury, William Stephenes, clerk,
Richard Wentworth, and William Pakyn, full possession and seisin
of and in the Manor of Mamcestr, co. Lane, with all its appurte-
nances, and the advowson and patronage of the Collegiate Church
of the Blessed Marie of Mamcestre, and also of all the rents and
services with their appurtenances in Horwich in the said county
of Lancaster, and in all other services, rents, etc., in Mamcestr,
Horwiche, and elsewhere within the said county of Lancaster,
according to the form and effect of a certain charter of feoffment
by me to them thereof made.
" Given the last day of May 1430."
(Seal broken.)
A few years later, in 1435, Sir "Reginald West appoints
John Stafford, Bishop of Bath and Wells and Chancellor of
England, as one of his trustees relating to the manor of
Manchester ; and we find the Bishop appointing " John
Huntynton, clerk", then Warden of Manchester, and
others, as his attorneys, to receive " full and peaceable
possession of and in the manor of Manchester."
I may here mention that many of these early deeds
are beautifully and clearly written, and have appended
to them the' heraldic seals of the grantors in fair
preservation ; and T had hoped to have exhibited some
56 EARLY DEEDS RELATING
of them this evening, but it was feared that with such a
large audience they might accidentally become damaged,
and it was considered wiser not to run any risk, as they
could not possibly be replaced.
In 1450 one of the trustees for the manor of Manches-
ter, appointed by Sir Reginald West, was no less a per-
son than the Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all
England ; but the deed is too long to be here quoted.
Sir Reginald West died in August of this year (1450),
and was succeeded by his son and heir, Sir Richard West,
the seventh Baron de la Warre. There are not many
deeds referring to him in this collection ; but on his
death, in 1476, he was succeeded by his son, Sir Thomas
West, Knt., the eighth Baron de la Warre, Knight of
the Garter. But a few years earlier, in 1472, the manor
of Manchester had been settled upon him, as shown by
the following interesting deed, to which the Archbishop
of York and others were parties : —
" Settlement of the Manor of Manchester, etc., by George Arch-
bishop of York, and others, on Thomas West and Alianore,
his wife, and their heirs male.
" Let all present and future know that we, George Archbishop
of York, William Bishop of Winchester, Maurice Berkeley, knight,
Eoger Lewkenore, knight, Robert Danby, knight, and Thomas
Pounde have demised, and by this our present charter indented
confirmed to Thomas West and Alianore, his wife, the Manor or
Lordship of Manchester, co. Lane, together with the advowson of
the College and Church {Gollegii & EccVie) of the Blessed Marie
of Manchestr aforesaid. To have and to hold to the said Thomas
West and Alianore and the heirs male of their bodies lawfully
begotten, of the chief lords of the fee, by the services thence due
and of right accustomed. And if it happen the said Thomas West
and Alianore die without heir male of their bodies lawfully
begotten, then the said Manor, etc., shall remain to Eichard West,
knight, Lord la Warre, father of the said Thomas West, his heirs
and assigns for ever, to hold of the chief lords of the fee by the
services thence due and of right accustomed.
" Nicholas Ravald, clerk, Hugh Garside, and Eobert Cutberd,
are appointed attorneys to deliver seisin.
"Given at Manchestr the 24 April, 12 Edward IV [1472]."
Sir Thomas West died in Oct. 1525, having held the
manor of Manchester lor over fifty years, when he was
TO THE MANOR OP MANCHESTER. 57
succeeded by his sou and heir, Sir Thomas West, Knt.,
ninth Baron la Warre. A very full settlement of the
manor of Manchester, dated 14 June 1543, is unfortu-
nately too long to be given here ; but on his death, in
1554, he was succeeded by his nephew, Sir William West,
Knt., the son of his half-brother, Sir George West, Knt.
Much scandal attached to this succession, as it was
alleged that he had tried to poison his uncle. Certain it
is that he was not created Baron de la Warre till many
years later, the patent being dated 5 Feb. 1570. In
1581 he entered into negotiations for the sale of the
manor of Manchester, and by a deed dated the 18th July,
23rd Elizabeth (1581), made between "John Lacy, citizen
and cloth worker of London, on the one part, and the
Rt. Hon. Sir William West, Knt., Lord la Warre, and
Thomas West, Esq., son of the said Lord la Warre, on
the other part", the manor of Manchester was conveyed
to the former for ever.
From this John Lacey the manor passed, as is well
known, to Sir Nicholas Mosley, Lord Mayor of London,
the founder of the Mosley family, and it remained in the
possession of the Mosleys till it was sold to the Corpora-
tion of this city in 1845, as already described.
I much regret that the limited time which is allowed
for the reading of papers before this Congress has obliged
me to take a very cursory glance over the more interest-
ing of the many old deeds now in the possession of the
Corporation. I can only trust that I have shown that
they possess sufficient local and general interest to war-
rant their being printed in the manner already suggested.
•REDING SKIMMINGTON" AND "RIDING
THE STANG."
BY C. K. B. BARRETT, ESQ., M.A.
N an early stage of the recent action,
Monson v. Tussaucl, an outcome, as all
will remember, of the sensational Ardla-
mont murder case, one of the Counsel
made mention of the "ancient action-
able wrong of Riding Skhnmington";
which wrong, he stated, enabled a hus-
band to obtain damages at law for reflection cast on his
wife.
Only a few weeks previously I had been interested in
the subject both of "Riding Skimmington" and the nearly
allied ceremony of " Riding the Stang". The terms in
which " Skimmington" was mentioned did not, however,
coincide with the view of the subject which I derived
from my investigations, and this fact led me to put toge-
ther a brief paper both on "Skimmington" and the
" Stang", — a paper which I have the honour of reading
before this Association to-night.
I shall, I believe, be able to show that though at times
erroneously confounded one with the other, the customs
of " Riding Skimmington" and " Riding the Stang"1 are
1 Dr. Brewer (not a good authority, by the way), under "Stang"
writes : "To ride the Stang, — to be under petticoat government. At
one time a man who ill treated his wife was made to sit on a 'stang,
or pole, hoisted on men's shoulders. On this uneasy conveyance the
iger' was carried in procession amidst the hootings and jeerings of
bis neighbours." We have also a " stang" or " stanck" ("pertica, lig-
im-us vectis", Coles), a stake or wooden bar or post; and gives as an
example of the use of the term, —
"An inundation that o'erbears the banks
And bounds of all religion. If some stancks
"riding skimmington." 50
essentially different. That there were resemblances in
the ritual (if I may use the term) of both customs I am
willing to admit ; but while " Hiding the Stang" was a
method of holding up to public contempt the peccant
husband or unchaste wife, " Hiding Skimmington" was
intended to satirise and deride the husband-beater and
scold.
The observances of both customs consisted in riotous
processions, and these I shall particularise hereafter. In
both cases a stang, or stake, was originally used ; but in
later times, when an exhibition of " Skimmington" dis-
turbed the streets of town or village, the chief actors
were mounted, not on a stang, but on a " sorry jade";
and it was probably from the early use of a stang in both
cases that the confusion has arisen. The word stang (now
a North Country word) signifies stake, wooden bar, or
post ; its probable derivation being the Icelandic staung,
the term stong-hesten, a rod or roddle-horse, being also
known.
Among the Goths a pole of infamy, or nidstaeng, was
set up when either a husband or wife erred ; the person
on whose account the post was erected being called nid-
ing, and being held for ever infamous.1 It is recorded
that, following on the denunciations of a bard or poet by
name E<nll Skallagrim, a nidstaeng was erected for Eric
Bloddox, King of Norway (a.d. 937 ?),with the result that
King Eric was compelled to desert his throne, and flee
his kingdom. But beyond this very early mention there
are no records of the customs of either" Skimmington" or
" Stang" until the sixteenth century; and I would remark
Shew cheir emergent heads, like Seth's famed stone,
Th' are monuments of thy devotion gone."
Poems subj. to K. Fletcher's Epigrams.
1 Niding, a coward, a base wretch ; nithing (Saxon), from with, vile-
ness. Camden says of this word that it has had more force than abracctr
dabra or any word of magical use, having levied armies, and subdued
rebellious enemies. William Rufus proclaimed that anybody who
refused to come to his camp to assist him should he proclaimed niding,
and that inconsequence "they swarmed to him immediately". Howell,
on Foreign Travels, says ''he is worthy to he called a niding, the
pulse of whose soul beats but faintly towards Heaven, who will not
run and reade his hand to bear up his temple.''
G 0 " RIDING SKIM MINGTON '
that by that time it was no longer a " post" that was
erected (a " post of infamy"), but a human being, or an
effigy thereof, mounted on a pole, was carried about the
streets when public opinion deemed it needful to correct
moral obliquity by " Riding the Stang".
About the same date, i.e., in the sixteenth century, T
find the custom of "Riding the Stang" practised in Spain,
and the details of the ceremony are given with consider-
able exactitude, as also are its causes.1 It is thus de-
scribed. The husband is mounted on a mule, hand-
shackled, and with amazing, large antlers. These antlers
were twisted with herbs, having four flags at the top,
and three bells. The woman rode another mule, and be-
laboured her husband with a crabbed stick. Her face
was entirely covered with long hair. Behind the pair,
on foot, marched a trumpeter bearing a trumpet in his
left hand, and a bastinado or strap in his right, Passen-
gers and passers by held up two fingers, hornwise, at
them.
Here we have the pair on two beasts, and the connec-
tion with the Evil Eye hinted at ; but in Spain this trace
is far from uncommon. The name of the ceremony was
" Los Cornudos Pacientes", and it was performed when
either man or woman had been convicted of misconduct,
but specially if the husband was supposed to have either
acted in collusion with, or to have profited by, the ill-
doing of his spouse.
Scotland made use of the rough and ready method of
;' Riding the Stang" to rebuke the same faults, i.e., incon-
tinence ; and the custom of" Skimmington", as ridiculing
the husband-beater, is also found there.
Callender states that in the North Riding of Yorkshire
the " Stang" is a " mark of the highest infamy", and adds
that the person who has thus been treated seldom re-
covers his honour among his neighbours. This certainly
points to the view that a lapse from morality was held
up to reprobation ; for assuredly the mere fact that a
man either suffered himself to be beaten, or was perforce
beaten, by his wife could hardly be held to make him for
ever infamous.
1 It is mentioned by Hoefnagle (1591) in his Views of Seville.
AND "RTDINCt THE STANG." 61
In Lothian, to return to Scotland, a man who had been
convicted of too much attention to his neighbour's wife,
was seized, mounted on a stang, and paraded through
the town or village. Here it is well to mark that it was
the offender himself that was punished, — a condition of
things always absent from " Hiding Skimmington", as I
shall show presently.
Ramsay, in his Poems (1721), in a mistaken note, gives
the following explanation of " Riding the Stang": "The
' Riding of the Stang' on a woman that hath beat her
husband is, as I have described it, by one's riding on a
sting, or a long piece of wood, carried by two others on
their shoulders, where, like a herauld, he proclaims the
woman's name and the manner of her unnatural action."
But Ramsay was, I think, inexact, and had confused the
two customs, as the authority of Callender and Jamieson
supports the opposite view.
" Riding the Stang" spread, as I have said, into Eng-
land. At the Durham Assizes, as late as 1793, seven
men were tried for violently assaulting one Nicholas
Lowes of Bishop Wearmouth, and carrying him on a
stang; the sentence being two years' imprisonment in
Durham Gaol, and to find sureties for three years. But
this, again, was not " Skimmington".
In the Costume of Yorkshire (1814), a plate, entitled
"Riding the Stang", appears with the following explana-
tion appended, and for purposes of exemplification I will
quote this at length : " This ancient provincial custom is
still occasionally observed in some parts of Yorkshire,
though by no means so frequently as it was formerly. It
is, no doubt, intended to expose and ridicule any violent
quarrel between man and wife, and more particularly in
instances where the pusillanimous husband has suffered
himself to be beaten by his virago of a partner. A case
of this description is here represented, and a party of
boys, assuming the office of public censors, are " Riding
the Stang."
But, as will be easily seen, the print of 1814 gave a
view of a degenerate "Stang". Primarily it was not
" boys" who took up the matter more as a joke, but it
was a serious rebuke, — nay more, a punishment inflicted
62 "riding skimmington '
by adults on adults whose conduct had deserved it. The
description continues: "This is a pole, supported on the
shoulders of two or more of the lads, across which one of
them is mounted, beating an old kettle or pan with a
stick. He at the same time repeats a speech, or what
they call a nominy, which, for the sake of detailing the
whole ceremony, is here subjoined : —
" With a ran, tan, tan,
( >n my old tin can,
Mrs and her good man,
She bang'd him, she bang'd him,
For spending a penny when he stood in need.
She up with a three-footed stool ;
She struck him so hard, and she cut so deep,
That the blood ran down like a new- stuck sheep."
Both the account and the print are so far removed
from the ancient usage as to be valueless : still it was
needful to quote, if only to show how, in later times, the
custom had degenerated from its primary intention.
Biding the Stang. From the large Brass at Lynn.
At Cambridge University, in some of the Colleges,
there seems to have been a usage in which scholars or
sizars (not commoners) were "stanged" for missing chapel.
Here the ceremony consisted of riding them round the
court or quadrangle on a pole or colt-staff.1
1 One authority states that "cole-staff"' is a strong pole on which men
carried a burden between them ; originally, perhaps, of coals. This is
improbable, very, as the word is older. in the old play, Widow's
AND "RIDING THE STANG." <»;:>
Possibly a relic of the custom of "Riding the Stang"
may still be traced in America, where an unpopular man
runs the risk of being ridden out of township or "city"
on a rail, he being at times sartorially decorated with a
coat of tar and the contents of a feather-bed.
Up to this point 1 have been mainly considering the
custom of " Hiding the Stang". I shall now enter upon
the question of " Riding Skimmington".
The earliest mention of "Skimmington" occurs in
Strype's Stowe, and is as follows: " 15(52, Shrove Mon-
day, at Charing Cross, was a man carried of four men,
and before him a, bagpipe playing, a shawm, and a drum
beating, and twenty links burning about him. The cause
was, his next neighbou?-'s wife beat her husband ; it being
so ordered that the next should ride about the place to
expose her."
This is the remarkable feature of " Skimmington". It
appears that if a woman, let us say at the sign of the
" Half Moon", beat her lord and master, the neighbours
seized on the man, and often on the man and his wife, at
a house on one side or the other of the " Half Moon", and
riotously carted them about the street in front of the
"Half Moon". It seems inexplicable why, if the wife of B
should beat her husband, A and his wife, or C and his
wife, should be made fools of by such undignified treat-
ment. And my remarks thereon are borne out by Lup-
ton in the dialogue between Sivqila (aliquis) and Omen
(nemo) in Too Good to he 7rw(1580). In this dialogue
Sivqila (aliquis) thus describes the custom, saying, " In
some places, with us, if a woman beat her husband, the
man that dwelleth next unto hir shall ride on a cowl-
staffe, and there is al the punishment she is like to have."
Omen (nemo), in reply, says, "That is rather an un-
Tears, — " I heard since 'twas seen whole o' th' other side the downs,
upon a cole-staff, between two huntsmen." Arden of Feversham, —
"I and my company have taken the constable from his Match, and
carried him about the field on a colt-staff" A "pedlar's pack" is some-
times said to be carried on a cole-staff. One derivation is from ;i
brewer's cotvl, in which the wort was carried to the cooler. This gives
the coulstaffe of Burton, who thus speaks of witches "riding in the
ayre, upon a coulstaffe, out of a chimney-top." (Ana/, of Melancholy,
p. GO.)
64 "biding skimmington
comely custome than a good order, for he that is in faint-
ly undecently used, and the unruly offendor is ex-
cused thereby. If this be all the punishment your wives
have, that beate their simple husbandes, it is rather a
boldning them than a discouraging of some bolde and
shameless dames to beate their simple husbandes, to
make their neighbours (whom they spite) to ride on a
cowle-staffe, rather rejoising and flearing at the riding of
their neyghbours than sorrowing or repenting for beating
of their husbandes."
Too Good to be True was dedicated to Sir Christopher
Hatton ; it was reprinted in 1584, and again in 1587.
The idea of the title coincides with that of the modern
Erewhon (Nowhere), a kind of Utopia.
I recently saw a bas-relief at Montacute House, in
Somersetshire, representing the custom, there called
" Skymmety". This bas-relief extends across the entire
end of the hall, opposite to the screen, and consequently
above the dais. It occupies the arched space between
the coved roof and the panelling. Montacute House
was the work of John Thorpe, architect, to whom we
also owe both Longleat and Burghley.1 Montacute
House was begun by Sir Edward Phelips in 1580, and
occupied many years in building, not being finished until
1601.
The bas-relief is original, and must have been put up
between these dates. As a work of art or a decoration
little can be said for it; but as an authentic relic of an
ancient custom, to us its value is very great.
1 John Thorpe {alias John of Padua) was a remarkable man, as his
works show. Little record remains of his life, and that little we owe
to Horace Walpole. A portfolio of his plans is still in the Soane
Museum, among them being the design which he jocularly made for
his own house. This took the form of his monogram. To it were
attached the following lines : —
" These two letters, I and T,
Joined together as you see,
Is meant a dwelling house for me.
John Thorpe."
The offices, I, being joined to the main house, T, by a corridor, repre-
Bented by the hyphen. This is a most singular example of a mono-
gram plan for a dwelling-house, but unfortunately it was never com-
pleted, or even begun.
AND "rtding the stang." 65
As I have remarked, at Montacute the custom is called
" Skymmety". Elsewhere in Somersetshire I have heard
it called " Skimmerton", and the compiler of the Somer-
setshire Glossary has the following entry under this
heading: "Skimmerton, the effigy of a man or woman
unfaithful to marriage vows, carried about on a pole,
accompanied by rough music from cows' horns and frying-
pans. Formerly it consisted of two persons riding on a
horse, back to back, with ladles and marrow-bones in
hand, and was intended to ridicule a hen-pecked hus-
band."
In Somersetshire the natives swear by this compila-
tion, and it is, therefore, vain to point out to them that
in the first portion of the description the compiler has
confused " Skimmington" with the custom of " Mom-
mets" or "Mommicks", while it is absurd to state that
" Skimmington" formerly meant that which it means
now.
Thirty years ago, on Ilchester Meads, I saw the custom
of " Mommets" or " Mommicks" performed. The word
mommet is derived from mome, a blockhead, and some-
times a buffoon. The French have momer, to go in dis-
guise, etc., whence our mummery. It was a weird scene
I witnessed. It was in front of a house in a long, squalid
row of glovers' dwellings on the outskirts of the then
much decayed borough of Ilchester. Certain inhabitants
of that notoriously immoral region had overstepped even
the wide bounds of lax morality there obtaining ; conse-
quently an effigy was carried on a pole by men whose
faces were blackened, and whose shirts took the place of
great coats. The procession passed up and down in front
of the dwelling of the offenders, amid an accompaniment
of tin kettles, marrow-bones, and cleavers, and ribald
jests. The cause fully justified the indignation which
the proceedings were intended to convey.
To a print dated 1639, in Divers Crab-Tree Lectures,
we are indebted for a view of a husband-beater, labelled
" Skimmington and her Husband." The same print is
again used for " Skimmington's Lecture to her Husband,
which is the errand Scold." To this second print the
following quatrain is appended :
1895 5
66 "RIDING SKIMMINGTON
" But all shall not serve thee,
For have at thy pate.
My ladle of the crab-tree
Shall teach thee to cogge and to prate."
But the most celebrated and detailed account of " Skim-
mington" is to be found in Butler's Hudibras, Part II,
canto 2, published first in 1664.1 It is, unfortunately, far
too lengthy to quote. Suffice it to say that Ralph o and
Hudibras were quarrelling, when this dispute was stopped
by the din of an approaching procession of" Skimming-
ton" —
"horns, and pans, and dogs, and boys,
And kettledrums whose sullen dub
Sounds like the hooping of a tub."
The procession approached nearer, and
" They found it was an antique show ;
A triumph that for pomp and state
Did proudest Romans emulate."
Then follows the description of the procession, in which,
I may add, grossness of expression is not lacking. Hudi-
bras remarks : —
" In all my life till now
I ne'r saw so profane a show.
It is a paganish invention
Which heathen writers often mention,"
etc., etc., till Ralpho cuts short his remarks with, —
"You mistake the matter;
For all th'antiquity you smatter
Is but a riding us'd of course
When 'the grey mare 's the better horse'."
1 Knight, in Old England (vol. ii), quotes Hudibras, but has an
illustration which is not Hogarth's, — a long procession wending
its way towards a church, of men, women, boys, and girls, — 1, men
blowing horns; 2, mounted man bearing petticoat-banner; 3, a
mob with marrow-bones, cleavers, and cows' horns, and a bagpiper ;
4, mounted man with basket of eggs and ladle (the derivation of
" Skimmington" is from a skimming ladle) ; 5, another mounted
man with petticoat-banner; 6, "Skimmington", man and wife, back
to back, on carthorse, — man with distaff, woman with crabbed stick ;
7, on left, kettledrummer and woman with marrow-bone and cleaver ■
8, on right, marrow-bones and cleavers, and an old man with inverted
kettle on his back, which is beaten by another with bones.
AND "RIDING the stang." 67
How the Knight and Ralpho attacked the procession,
and were routed, I need not relate. Hogarth's illustra-
tion of this incident in Hudibras is probably so well
known that I will not weary you with a description.1
In King's Miscellany Poems the same idea is conveyed,
but another detail is introduced, viz., the sweeping
before the doors of other people, at houses where a scold
was suspected of dwelling : —
"When the young people ride the Skimmington
There is a general trembling in a town ;
Not only he for whom the person rides
Suffers, but they sweep other doors besides ;
And by that Hieroglyphic does appear
That the good woman is the master there."
In vol. i of State Poems (1703) the custom is called
" A punishment invented first to awe
Masculine wives transgressing Nature's law,
Where, when the brawny female disobeys,
And beats her husband 'til for peace he prays,
No concern'd jury damage for him finds,
Nor partial justice her behaviour binds,
But the just street does the next house invade,
Mounting the neighbour couple on lean jade.
The distaff knocks, the grains from kettle fly,
And boys and girls in troops run headlong by."
Butler is, however, the first who mentions the substi-
tution of a horse for a pole. The couple, it would seem,
in the seventeenth century, were mounted back to back,
the man being behind. Misson, in his travels, gives a
variant in the ceremony: — "I have sometimes met in the
streets of London", he writes, " a woman carrying a figure
of straw, representing a man crowned with very ample
horns, preceded by a drum, and followed by a mob
making a most grating noise with tongs, gridirons, frying-
1 Hogarth's print. — On right, Ralpho's horse is being routed by the
linkman ; crowd with marrow-bones, cleavers, cows' horns, etc., and
the kettle on man's back. One mounted man bears a smock on a pole,
with horns at the top ; another has eggs and a ladle, and casting one
at Hudibras ; a third has a petticoat on a pole ; a fourth a reversed,
cross hilted sword, with a gauntlet and spurs ; " Skimmington" and
her husband armed respectively with a ladle and a distaff. One man,
on right, is just about to throw a dead cat at Hudibras, who, having
met the leader, is about to draw his sword.
52
68 "RIDING SKIMMINGTON , ETC.
pans, and saucepans. I asked what was the meaning of
all this. They told me that a woman had given her hus-
band a sound beating for questioning her fidelity, and
that upon such occasions some kind neighbour of the
poor, innocent, injured creature generally performed this
ceremony."
Bagford, in the first volume of Leland's Collectanea,
mentions an old statute concerning " Skimmington"; but
I have been, despite much search, quite unable to obtain
chapter and verse for this alleged statute.
Grose, describing " Skimmington", says that the man
rode behind the woman, with his face to the tail of the
horse, and held a distaff, the woman beating him about
the head with a ladle. When the procession passed the
house where the husband-beater lived, or where any
woman was suspected of being paramount, each gave the
threshold a sweep. The same explanation is given by
Sir Walter Scott in The Fortunes of Nigel, — "Hark ye,
dame Ursley Suddlechop", said Jenkin starting up, his
eyes flashing with anger, " remember I am none of your
husband ; and if I were, you would do well not to forget
whose threshold was swept when they last ' rode Skim-
mington' upon such another scolding jade as yourself."
It is difficult, however, to see the difference between a
warning sweep and the actual performance of " Skim-
mington". In both cases the disgrace, if any, must have
been the same.
In discussing the question of these now obsolete cus-
toms I have relied, in the main, on absolute documentary
evidence. Speculation is at times useful, but if too gene-
rally employed is misleading : hence, chancing an accusa-
tion of padding, I have quoted freely. I have endea-
voured to show that " Riding the Stang", in its real
sense, is a different custom from "Hiding Skimmington",
despite the resemblances in the ritual of the ceremony ;
that while the first dealt with serious lapses on the part
of husband or wife, the last merely ridiculed the husband-
beater.
DEVA : ON SOME TRACES OF A BUILDING
DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FORUM,
CHESTER, 1894.
BY FRANK If. WILLIAMS.
{Bead 6th June 1894.)
N February last, when viewing an exca-
vation made for the purpose of extend-
ing the cellarage behind the premises of
Messrs. Quellyn, Roberts, and Co., on the
south side of Watergate Street, I noticed
what at first sight appeared to be a
light-coloured stratum amongst nlled-in
rubbish, for much of the ground was of this nature. A
closer examination, however, proved it to be concrete,
and unmistakably Roman. The finding of some broken
sandstone pilce and the portion of a column-base, some
days before, suggested the probability that other and in
situ remains might not be far distant. Such proved the
case, of which the concrete and certain vestiges of walls
were the first evidence. With these bare facts you are
already acquainted ; but since writing, having repeatedly
visited the spot, it is my privilege to lay before you such
additional notes as my limited opportunities permitted
me to make.
Before attempting a description of the remains them-
selves, it may be well to say a few words as to the posi-
tion of the site and its surroundings.
The chief part of Messrs. Roberts' establishment con-
sists of one of the earliest and most perfect of our crypts,
a Gothic structure of the twelfth century ■ in length
divided by three pillars supporting its groined roof; the
present frontage being a yard or so in advance of what
was the original entrance, and the floor some 2 or 3 ft.
below the level of the street. A pointed doorway at the
further end opens into a passage, and this again into a
70 DEVA I TRACES OF A BUILDING
lateral cellar to the east ; the passage terminating in a
thick stone wall of mediaeval date, running east and
west. Beyond this is a warehouse, in the occupation of
Messrs. Wood and Sons, ironmongers, and under which
it was decided to form the new cellar.
I might have spoken of the site in connection with the
last-named establishment, and said that the remains
were found behind them ; that is, west of Bridge Street,
where the two properties adjoin. This it is necessary to
point out to those not familiar with Chester, and to
observe that this street marks the direction taken by the
via, which, running north and south, passed through, and
near here constituted the open area of, the Forum of
Deva. In 1863, when removing the foundations of an old
hostelry called " The Feathers", on the opposite side of
the street, the remains of a columnar building were dis-
covered, which it is conjectured formed part of the Basi-
lica; and that to the south, and continuous with it, had
been the Thermal}
Retracing our steps, we will now consider the vestiges
lately disclosed. Whatever the use of the building (and
this, perhaps, you may be able to determine), it was evi-
dently one of a line of edifices which, opening into the
Forum, formed its western limits. The site is more to
the north than that of any Homan structure previously
found on this side of Bridge Street ; indeed, so near
Watergate Street (known to be practically on the lines
of the western portion of the via principalis) that it
seems not unlikely one of the entrances of the building
may have been so approached. Had the work of exca-
vation been watched by some archaeologist in complete
command of his time, the position of other vestiges of
walls might have been preserved. With these minor
exceptions, however, the whole of the remains are given
on the accompanying plan. Some of the facts recorded
have been secured through the willing co-operation of the
workmen, and the information so derived shall be noted
as I proceed.
1 A full and excellent account of this, with illustrations, by Dr. T. N.
Brush field, is printed in the Journal of the Chester Arclueoloyical Society,
vol. iii, pp. 1-106.
DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FORUM. 71
A cutting was first made on the north, near the medi-
aeval wall which still exists, forming the boundary at this
end of the cellar. This was followed by a trench for the
east wall, the width and position of which is shown at
A, a, b, b, and in commencement at the time of my first
visit. The dotted portions of plan near these cross-walls
show the position of the concrete, though not completely
the extent traced, for it was to be observed, in places, as
a corresponding line on the other side of the trench.
That this had formed the floor of a hypocaust was subse-
quently proved by the finding of a pila (i) built of tiles,
probably teguloB. Shortly afterwards, and during my
absence, two other pillars (n, in), and close together,
were taken out, and the latter one preserved by a" work-
man for my inspection. Of pila n he only kept a single
tile, which is portion of a tegula, and bears the legionary
stamp, leg xx vv.1 The other one (in) having been care-
fully removed, I saw much in the state in which it was
found. This also was formed of roof-tiles, eight layers of
which were remaining, the binding material being clay,
with mortar in some places. The tegulce composing it
were about 1^ in. thick, and most of the layers formed of
two, three, or more pieces fitted together, with the outer
edges, where necessary, chipped straight, the sides of the
pillar measuring 10^ by 12^ in. On breaking this up it
was seen that no lettered portions of tiles had chanced
to occur in its construction. These pillars were found
resting on the concrete in their original position, and I
was told that the lowermost tile of at least one of them
was of larger area, by way of base ; also that some upper
courses of the two adjoining the wall B had been bonded
into it, — a feature which will be noticed occurred else-
where. Another brick pila, but isolated, was mentioned
as having been found near the place marked X.
Surrounding the pilce was a thick mass of roof- tiles,
more or less imperfect, resting upon and intermixed with
charcoal, and suggesting the idea that the destruction of
1 A Aveak impression from a roughly formed matrix. The two Vs
are separate, i.e., not superimposed. On this tile, as in the case of
some others found in the excavation, the mark made by the finger of
the maker is serpentine.
72 DEVA : TRACES OF A BUILDING
the building bad been completed by fire. The suspensura
(of which, however, no vestige remained) must in this
case have been torn up before the burning of the roof, for
the teguloB to have fallen as they were found. A more
probable explanation may be that the tiles and other
debris were thrown in during the levelling operations of
some later period. The most perfect of them lay flat upon
the concrete, surface upwards ; but though cautiously
taken out, separated into several pieces, evidently from
old fractures.1
Of broken sandstone pilce four halves were found. One
occurred near this place, in forming the trench ; another
at the north part of the excavation ; the third I cannot
say where ; but none of these apparently in situ. The
fourth, and last found, however, was, and will be noticed
when I speak of the portion of the building in which it
was situated.2
In proceeding with the excavation from c towards f,
for the south boundary of the cellar, two other walls
were met with, viz., those marked c and d. In c were
two bonding courses of tiles (tegulce). d marks a similar
wall, but without tiles so employed ; yet at that portion
of it numbered vn it was formed entirely of them, — one
upon another, in the manner of&pila, an upper layer of
which has continued for a foot or two, like a bonding
course, into the thinner wall connecting the last named
with the wall c. Another example of a tile-pillar forming
part of a wall was met with at vi. In this instance, how-
ever, lateres, 3 in. in thickness, had been employed.
The last found, and most interesting portion of the
building, must now be described. In order to excavate for
the cellar it was necessary to uphold the warehouse (i.e., its
1 This, which is in the possession of Messrs. Roberts, measures 16
by 20{ in. The stamp is of the usual formula, leg xx vv, clearly
impressed, and with well formed letters, the two final ones overwrap-
ping. The maker's mark is of the serpentine variety previously
described. The flanges were wanting when found.
2 One of the first of these is preserved, with some other relics from
the site, in the old crypt. The size of the base is 12 by 14 in. The
]>ila is broken away at about the centre of its original height. It now
stands U)\ in. A perfect example may also be seen here, but though
found in Chester has no connection with this excavation.
MEDIAEVAL WALL
<U OF I 11—11 1 I 1 I 1. 1 TEN FLET.
FHW Tiens it del 'S9+
DEVA— A PLAN OF REMAINS FOUND WEST OF THE FORUM, 1894.
DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FORUM. 73
wooden roof and supporting iron pillars) by an arrange-
ment of cross-timbers. When making a hole for one of
the props, west of the place just mentioned, some lateres
were taken out, which I was told were found set edge to
edge, like the tiles of an ordinary floor. They measured
1G by 11^ in., and were 2^ in. in thickness. Others, how-
ever, subsequently discovered, and from the same pave-
ment, were 17 by 1 If in.; in thickness tapering from 2^ in.
to 1^ in. at the other end, and though so used, had evi-
dently been designed as voussoir-tiles for turning arches.1
The excavation progressing, the portion of a wall
marked f was encountered, and on removing the remain-
ing soil the greater part of an apse, as shown on the
plan, was laid bare ; the whole of the area indicated by
shading being continuously tiled in the manner described.
These tiles were bedded in sandy marl, and in the imme-
diate vicinity of the apse-wall had been broken, the
better to accommodate them to its curve.
I carefully watched the removal of this last destroyed
portion of the floor, and beneath the bed in which the
tiles were set took out from the debris between it and
the underlying rock some pieces of concrete, the surfaces
of which were tessellated with dark, slate-coloured (lias)
and white (chalk) stones. These occurred both upwards
and with the tessellated surface reversed, and so appear
to have been taken by the Roman builders from some
earlier and ruined pavement, here to be utilised as level-
ling material. The least imperfect of three fragments I
met with measures about 4^ by 6^ in., in which are
some twenty-five tessellce remaining, the surface of the
largest of them being f by f of an inch. The work is
rather coarse, and probably from the border of a pave-
ment, though there are not sufficient of the tessellce left to
give an idea of its pattern. When rubbed, the chalk-
stones leave a white mark on the finger, showing their
1 None of the lateres bore any signs save the cursive marks of the
maker: indeed, stomas oh tiles seem to have been almost exclusively
confined to the tegulos. In the Mayer Museum, Liverpool, is an example
of a small tile of the kind used in herringbone pavements, found in
Chester, with the legionary stamp. On antefixa the title of the Devan
legion, with its siynum, the boar, is rendered ornamentally conspicuous.
74 DEVA : TRACES OF A BUILDING
partial decay. Another piece is ordinary tile-concrete
ground smooth for a floor.
The tile-pavement of the apse was at a rather lower
level than the stratum of concrete at the south east angle
of the ground, but, like it, had supported the pillars of a
hvpocaust. The lower half of a sandstone pila, the base
measuring about 13^ by 14 in., and 14 in. in height, was
found in situ. This, just after its removal, I saw, and on
the testimony of the workman have given on the plan, at
viii. On the same authority I have marked the position
of the tiles iv and v. They were thick lateres, and appear
to have formed the first layer of pilce in the line of a wall
which it was asserted ran in the direction shown by the
arrow from wall e.
Ilegardi ng the plan, it should be mentioned that the
shaded portions of walls are those I saw, and the parts
given in solid black such as, lying without the course of
the new brickwork, still exist ; also that the single line
marks the inner face of this 14 in. wall, its outer side
(not, however, shown) being practically the limit at which
remains could be seen.
At the time when the apse was disclosed, the western
wall of the cellar had been completed southwards to the
arrow-point, and this will serve to explain why I must
speak doubtfully of the return of the apse-wall given as
the angle e, f. The course of this wall at f was deter-
mined by a rod pushed through the intervening soil ;] but
the brickwork having, as stated, already been erected
Ik mi the north up to this point, an examination, which
might by probing have decided the question concerning
the apse-angle, was thus rendered impossible.
Another point must be noted, viz., that the extension
of the walls from a to a and b to b is also in some degree
conjectural ; for though I measured the distance from
one to the other, at the section exposed on the east side
of the trench, I cannot be certain they preserved a parallel
course ; and, indeed, was told that the wall from the
point k ran in a south-easterly curve towards the portion
of masonry at B. Had the excavation consisted in the
1 Further investigation was not attempted, as a most ruinous old
wall was here shored up for underpinning.
DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FORUM. 75
deepening of the entire area instead of the widening or
development of trenches, a more complete plan might
have been secured ; and though it was possible for me to
have inserted other connecting lines, as I was not certain
of their exact position, I thought it safer to omit them.
During the year 1876 the premises of Messrs. Wood
were rebuilt, and when clearing the ground many tiles
with legionary stamps similar to those before mentioned
were found, and amongst them one which bore additional
letters, and arranged in two lines.1 One of the labourers,
who had also assisted in this previous excavation, spoke
of some in situ remains which he remembered were there
met with. These, from what I could gather, were brick
pilce and portions of walls, evidently belonging to the
eastern extension of the Eoman building. _
In a former communication I had occasion to mention
Commonhall Street, a way running westwards from Bridge
Street, and some yards distant from the south end of the
site, though lying parallel to it, and, there is evidence to
show, on the lines of the most northern of the small vice
on this side of the Forum.2
The fifth volume of the Association's Journal contains
a paper by the late Mr. Charles Roach Smith on the
" Roman Remains of Chester", where, under the head
Commonhall Street, he gives an account of discoveries
there made circa 1849. This you will, please, allow me
to quote at length : —
"Up the centre, a row of foundations formed of con-
crete (broken marble-stones in hard mortar), about 9 ft.
apart, all in a line, and about 10 ft. deep, presenting the
appearance of having supported columns. A large square
block of stone, 4 ft. 2 in. square, and 16 in. deep, without
lewis-holes, on a bed of concrete. A portion of a column
of very debased classical form, about 2 ft. in diameter ;
1 This is figured in the Roman Cheshire of the late Mr. Watkin,
p. 119, and is the first recorded specimen of this formula. Two others
have, however, been since found in other parts of the city, viz., from
the ruins of a villa at Blackfriars, 1886, and from near the foundations
of the tower called " Pemberton's Parlour", in 1893.
5 South of this, again, are Mill Lane (or Pierpoint Street) and White
Friars, both of which have been preserved as thoroughfares since the
Roman period.
76 DEVA : TRACES OF A BUILDING
at the top is a hole, 4^ in. square, and the same deep,
and a similar hole at the bottom ; the square part seems
never to have been smoothly dressed ; the workmen said
it was fast to the grouted concrete at the depth of 10 ft.;
mouldings, broken tiles, and pottery, coins of Pius,
Tetricus, etc.; a quantity of animals' bones, a stag's skull
with the horns sawn oft", and a wild boar's tusk. In the
adjoining street, a moulded block of cornice, 8 in. thick,
on the under side of which is a rude inscription (see fig.,
p. 224) ; embedded in a thick wall, at the same place,
a pig of lead ; a capital of a pillar. The tiles are of various
forms, some overlapping one another; some with a kind
of pattern or letters, others with marks of animals' feet.
One, perfect, 21 in. by 13, of singular form. Also what
appears to have been a portion of a gable-end."
From Mr. Smith's description it is evident that the
foundations were those of pillars of a portico or colonnade
running either along the southern boundary of the block
in the midst of which our building was situated, or form-
ing the covered walk to that on the other side of the via.
A similar arrangement of columns has been met with at
Mill Lane and Whitefriars.
The tile "of singular form" above referred to was for
many years preserved in the Water Tower Collection,
but is now in the Grosvenor Museum, having been pre-
sented to this institution, with a selection from other
local antiquities at the Tower, by the Town Council in
1883. Of this an illustrative woodcut accompanies Mr.
Smith's notice, though unfortunately he has not given
his opinion as to the purpose for which the tile was made.
This, and the fact that two portions of similar ones occur-
red in the present excavation, are my reasons for direct-
ing your attention to the matter.
Though obviously not intended for covering (i.e., roof)
tiles, it may be convenient to apply the term tegulce
when speaking of them ; and correctly, in that the pro-
cess of their manufacture appears in certain respects
identical. In order to make a roof-tile there must have
been a level surface (for example, that of a board, or slab
of stone) and two other pieces placed on their edges, and
parallel, the distance between them being that of the
DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FORUM. 77
width or lesser dimensions of the proposed tile ; and
again two more, limiting the parallelogram in length.
This matrix, after being well sanded, received a mass of
clay which wras smoothed or pressed to the thickness
desired, and the ridges made by working up the clay
against the lateral " cheeks". The tile, after being taken
out, was " signed" with some cursive symbol ; notched, to
accommodate the narrower end of an overwrapping tile ;
impressed with the legionary stamp ; trimmed ; and set
aside for drying.
The points in which the tiles first mentioned differ
from ordinary tegulce are, — (1), that the ridges are not
continuous, but may be described as though they had
been cut away, with the exception of four short lengths
or " lugs", two on each side, and about 1^ in. from either
end ; though actually I believe them to have been roughly
moulded, probably by working the clay up to wooden
shapes, and afterwards trimmed with a knife; (2), that
the back or reverse faces bear diagonal lines scored
lozenge-wise. Where this surface-roughening is met with
(as in the case of flue-tiles) we know that the tile was
intended to be placed in a vertical position, and the scor-
ing to assist in retaining it against the plastered surface
of a wall, and have thus a clue that these also must have
been used in connection with the heating arrangements
of a hypocaust, though precisely how is not quite clear.1
The two fragments are shown in the accompanying
photograph. One bears the legionary stamp, but faintly
impressed, and partially obscured by a calcareous incrus-
tation, the signum of the maker being serpentine. The
second, or smaller piece, differs in that the finger-mark
is formed like a loop ; and though but little of the tile
remains, has, I imagine, never been stamped. I venture
to suggest this because the only perfect specimen (that
in the Museum) is "signed" in the same manner, and
also has no impression. I do not remember having seen
1 So far as my experience goes, and the tiles are certainly uncom-
mon. Since writing, however, I have seen a notice of some Roman
remains found at Colchester in 1849, and communicated to the Asso-
ciation by Mr. William Wire. In this he gives a description of what
appear to be similar tiles ; but the reader must judge. See Journal,
vol. v, pp. 86-87.
78 DEVA : TRACES OF A BUILDING
such looped figures on any of the local tiles save these
two ; and it is noteworthy that a tegula stamped ale .
sebvsia, which was found at Lancaster, bears a cursive
mark of this identical form, but preceded by two vertical
strokes, II.1 It might be argued that these Chester tiles
were also made by soldiers of the same ala ; but this
question I must leave for the consideration of those
learned in such matters, merely observing that the
absence of the legionary stamp on the latter would afford
some slight support in the way of negative evidence.
Before quitting the subject of tiles, I should mention
that a few imperfect imbrices, used in covering the ridges
of roofs, were also met with ; and two examples of thick
lateres, which were perforated, as though by means of a
pointed stick, with holes a few inches apart.2 Similar
tiles, found amongst the remains of the presumed Basi-
lica, are described by Dr. Brushrleld, the holes, as he
remarks, having doubtless been made to prevent the clay
from warping.3 A familiar illustration of this principle
may be seen in biscuits, which are pricked to ensure
their remaining flat in the process of baking.
On another photograph are given two characteristic
examples of tegulce with legionary stamps ; the terminal
v's in one being separate, in the other conjoined. They
also serve to show two varieties of the makers' marks,
viz., that I have described as serpentine, and another,
the only one of frequent occurrence. This, which varies
from a semicircle to a horseshoe in shape, consists either
of a single line or several parallel ones formed by the
finger or fingers of the workman.
Having described the building and remains pertaining
thereto, I have little more to add. As before mentioned,
the site had evidently been much disturbed in media3val
times, especially the more northern part. At the north-
east angle a distinct rubbish-pit, of apparently fifteenth
century date, was met with, containing horns, bones,
pieces of pottery, etc., whilst scattered at different levels
1 A representation of this may be found in either the Roman Lan-
cashire, p. 17G, or Roman Cheshire, p. 122, of the late Mr. Watkin.
2 Tile No. v, west of the apse, was one of these.
3 See Journal of the Chester Archxeological Society, vol. iii, pp. G9-70.
DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FORUM. 79
were shreds and various objects contemporary with the
deposits.
My paper being already somewhat lengthy, I must
leave the consideration of these for some future occasion,
and conclude with a notice of the few miscellaneous
articles of the Roman period which were found. These
were some slight remains of pottery and one or two
objects in metal. Of the former, the only worth naming
are the fragment of a Samian bowl with the figure of a
deer, and a piece from the side of a shallow dish, 2 in. in
depth, of Upchurch pottery. The fragment is apparently
about one-seventh of the whole vessel, the segment being
that of a circle 13 in. in diameter. On the outer side of
the dish, which is slightly splayed, is a basket-like pat-
tern of overwrapping curves, formed by lightly tracing
the clay, before baking, with some blunt instrument. A
similar pattern is repeated on its under or hidden surface.
The objects in metal may also be described in a few
words, and two only were found which can with certainty
be called Roman, and one is an ordinary coin, though the
uncommon character of the other in some measure com-
pensates for the marked absence of ordinary relics usually
found in such excavations.
I had told the men to carefully watch for any frag-
ments of metal bearing that green rust so dear to anti-
quarian eyes, and, as is my practice, impressed upon them
the necessity of tenderly handling any " buckles", etc.,
they might find. Thus the object now to be described
was saved. Escaping the observation of those digging
near the apse, it was detected by one of the labourers in
wheeling away the earth. This, as he had found it, an
almost undistinguishable mass of oxide, I received, and
after cleaning saw was the remains of a pair of scales,
the beam of which, by an ingenious arrangement, had
been made to fold.1 The only other examples with which
I am acquainted are two preserved in the British Museum,
of the existence of which I was informed by Mr. Cecil
Smith, who most considerately made drawings of them
for comparison with the one I possess. One is from Mel-
bourne (Cambridge), in the Department of British Anti-
1 See drawing on next page.
so
DEVA : TRACKS OF A BUILDING, ETC.
quities ; and the other in that of the Greek and Roman,
the locality of its find being unfortunately not recorded.
In both the principle is the same, whilst the latter and
mine seem identical in form as well as size. It so hap-
pens that the parts wanting in the one exist in the other.
Roman Balance. Tiles.
Thus, in the Chester specimen the looped end of the
remaining arm is missing, while shown in that at the
Museum. Again, mine still retains the attachment or
handle by which the scales were suspended, in which
respect the other is defective.
The solitary coin mentioned, also found near the apse,
is of third brass size, and has for its obverse two soldiers
holding spears, and a couple of standards between them ;
the gloria exercitus type of, probably, Constantine II.1 A
piece of bronze, 2\ in. in length, and resembling a linch-
pin, was also found, as well as some lumps of lead of irre-
gular form, which a speculative antiquary might accept
as further evidences of the building having been de-
stroyed by fire ; adding that the pig of lead previously
found marked the site of the cerarium of Roman Chester,
and that the scales belonged to an argentarius whose
tabenia was here.
1 This I submitted to Mr. Robert Blair of South Shields, and he is
of the same opinion.
$rirte8 (^rcliacofccjtcaf (fteeociafton.
FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONGRESS,
MANCHESTER, 1894.
MONDAY, JULY 30th, to SATURDAY, AUGUST 4th.
PATRON.
HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN.
PRESIDENT.
The Right Hon. the EARL of NORTHBROOK, G.C.S.I.
VICE-PRESIDENTS.
The Duke of Norfolk, K.G., Earl
Marshal
The Duke of Westminster, K.G.
The Marquess of Bute, K.T., LL.D.
The Marquess of Ripon, K.G.,
G.C.S.I.
The Earl of Ducie, F.R.S. *
The Earl of Hardwicke
The Earl of Lathom, G.C.B.
The Earl Nelson
The Earl of Mount - Edgcumbe,
D.C.L.
The Earl of Winchilsea and Not-
tingham
The Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of
St. David's, D.D.
The Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of
Ely, D.D.
The Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of
Liverpool, D.D.
The Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of
Llandaff, D.D., F.S.A.
The Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of
Manchester
Lord Houghton, F.S.A.
Lord Knutsford, G.C.M.G.
The Lord Mayor of Manchester
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool
The Right Rev. Bisnor Crauer-
Roberts, D.D.
The Very Rev. The Dean ok Man-
chester, D.D.
Sir Chas. H. Rouse Boughton, Bart.
Sir Albert Woods, K.C.MG., C.B.,
F.S.A., Garter King of Arms
1895
The Mayor of Burnley
The Mayor of Chorley
The Mayor of Salford
The Mayor of Stockport
Thomas Blashill, Esq., F.Z S.
C. Brown, Esq., Deputy Mayor of
Chester
Colonel G. G. Adams, F.S.A.
Cecil Brent, Esq., F.S.A.
Arthur Cates, Esq.
J. M. Cheetham, Esq., M.P.
C. H. Compton, Esq.
William H. Cope, Esq , F.S.A.
H Syer Cuming, Esq., F.S. A.Scot.
Sir John Evans, K.C.B., D.C.L.,
LL.D , F.R.S., F.S.A.
Sir Augustus W. Franks, K.C.B.,
Litt.D., F.R.S., P.S.A.
James Heywood, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A.
J. W. Maclure, Esq., M.P.
Rev. S. M. Mayhew, M.A.
J. S. Phene, Esq., LL.D., F.S.A.,
F.G.S., F.R.G.S.
Rev. Canon W. S. Simpson, D.D.,
F.S.A.
Joseph Thompson, Esq., Alderman,
Chairman of Owens College Council.
E. M. Thompson, Esq., C.R., F.S.A,
Principal Librarian, British Museum
A. W. Ward, Esq., Litt.D., LL.D.,
Principal of Owens College and Vice-
Chancellor of the Victoria Univtr-
sity.
Allan Wyon, Esq., F.S.A.
o
82
GENERAL LOCAL COMMITTEE.
J. II. Andrews, Esq.
IIkv Canon Anson, M.A.
\Y. T. Arnold, Esq.
.1. \V. Bradmont, Esq.
Kk\. Rnl'.T. Birley, M.A.
H H. Smith Carrington, Esq.
H. Sandford Claye, Esq.
Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, M.A.,
F.R.S., F.S.A.
J. W. Edelston, Esq.
Rev. S. Hailstone
James Hall, Esq.
S. E. Hawortii, Esq.
A. F. Herford, Esq.
Edw, S. Heywood, Esq.
Wm. Johnson, Esq.
Thos. Kay, Esq., J. P.
Prof. D. J. Leech, M.D.
C. Mitchell, Esq.
J. Norbury, Esq.
E. G. Paley, Esq.
Herbert Philips, Esq.
Rev. A. D. Powell, M.A.
J. H. Rimmer, Esq., M.A., LL.M.
W. 0. Roper, Esq.
Prof. Arthur Schuster, Ph.D.,
F.R.S.
Francis Smith, Esq.
Rev. J. H. Stanning, M.A.
Prof. T. F. Tout, M.A.
Prof. A. S. Wilkins, LL.D., D.Litt.
T. R. Wilkinson, Esq.
G. B. Lancaster Woodburne, Esq.
Alderman James Hoy, Manchester
Alderman J. Mark ,,
Alderman J. F. Roberts , ,
Alderman Hugo Shaw ,,
Alderman P. Keevney, Salford
Alderman J. Shaw ,,
Councillor T. C. Abbott, Manchester
Councillor W. T. Ban
Councillor J. Grantham
Councillor J. H. Greenhow
Councillor J. Hampson
Councillor Edw. Holt
Councillor H. Rawson
Councillor W. T. Rotiiwell
Councillor J. Ward
Councillor S. B.Worthington
Councillor J. Frankenburg, Salford
Councillor J. Griffiths ,,
Councillor W. G. Groves ,,
LOCAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Chairman.
Samuel Andrew, Esq.
W. E. A. Axon, Esq., F.R.S.L.
Sir W. H. Bailey (Mayor of Salford)
C. Tallent-Bateman, Esq.
H. T. Crofton, Esq.
J. P. Earwaker, Esq., M.A., F.S.A.
Lieut. -Col. H. Fishwick, F.S.A.
Major G. J. French
W. H. Guest, Esq.
W. Harrison, Esc
Nathan Heywood, Esq.
T. Cann Hughes, Esq., M.A.
Rev. E. F. Letts, M.A.
H. Colley March, Esq., M.D., F.S.A.
Albert Nicholson, Esq.
George Pearson, Esq.
G. H. Rowbotham, Esq.
Chas. W. Sutton, Esq.
J. P. Wilkinson, Esq., C E.
J. Holme Nicholson, Esq., M.A., "\
r, n v Wil™low'r Cheshire, \_R
Geo. C. Yates, Esq., F.S.A.
Swinton, Manchester
.
Thos. Letherbrow, Esq., Hon. Treasurer.
(Messrs. Cunlifkes, Brooks & Co.'s Bank, Manchester.)
(proceeding of t$c Congress.
MONDAY, JULY 30.
The members and visitors who had provided themselves with Con-
gress tickets assembled at the Town Hall at 12 o'clock, noon, where
the reception by the Right Hon. Sir Anthony Marshall, the Lord
Mayor, took place. After adjournment for luncheon, a visit was paid,
at 2 o'clock, to Manchester Cathedral, where the various antiquarian
features of the fabric were examined under the guidance of the Very
Rev. the Dean and the Rev. E. F. Letts, M.A., who conducted the
party round the building, and pointed out the numerous details of
interest.
At 3.15 the party left the Cathedral, and proceeded to Cheetham's
Hospital. Some of the members then made their way to Owens Col-
lege, to inspect the Museum, under the guidance of the Keeper, W. E.
Hoyle, Esq., M.A. A synopsis of the chief objects of antiquarian
interest was kindly presented to each member.
By the kind invitation of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress a
conversazione was held in the Town Hall, which was largely attended.
CHESTER EXCURSION.— TUESDAY, JULY 31st.
The members proceeded by train to Chester, via Warrington, at
9.40, arriving at 10.58. They were met in Chester by Alderman
Charles Brown, Deputy Mayor, and other friends, who conducted the
party to St. John's Church and the ruins of the Priory. Afterwards a
visit was paid to the City Walls, where they inspected the Roman
portions of the masonry recently laid open to observation, the hypo-
caust, and Pemberton's Parlour.
At 1.30 the party assembled at the Guildhall, and were received by
the Mayor of Chester, Mr. Alderman Leonard Gilbert, and entertained
at luncheon on the invitation of Mr. Alderman Charles Brown.
At 2.30 the party made its way to the Cathedral, where the prin-
cipal features of interest were pointed out by Yen. Archdeacon Barber.
Leaving the Cathedral, the party visited the Grosvenor Museum,
6-
84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONGRESS.
containing a large collection of relics of Roman Deva, viewing on the
way several of the interesting old timbered houses characteristic of
the city.
The evening meeting was held at Owens College (History Theatre)
at 8 o'clock, Mr. A. Wyon, F.S.A., Y.V.,Hon. Treas., in the chair, when
the following papers were read : " Roman Remains around Manches-
ter", by Rev. Dr. Hooppell ; "Pre-Norman Churches of Lancashire",
by H. Fishwick, Esq. ; and " Visitations of the Plague in Lancashire
and Cheshire", by W. E. A. Axon, Esq.
AVHALLEY EXCURSION.— WEDNESDAY, AUG. 1st.
This day the members proceeded by train, at 10 a.m., to AVhalley,
whence the journey was continued by carriages to Little Mytton Hall
and the Church, under the guidance of Rev. J. S. Doxey.
On the return to AVhalley, luncheon was served at the AVhalley
Arms at 1 p.m. Afterwards, W. de Gray Birch, Esq., F.S.A., Hon.
Sec, communicated some "Historical Notes on Whalley Abbey."
The party then proceeded to AVhalley Abbey, which was described
by E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Sec. A carefully prepared
model of the Abbey, as it appeared prior to the Dissolution, was exhi-
bited in the Coach House.
The evening meeting was held at Owens College (History Theatre)
at 8 p.m., Rev. Canon Letts in the chair, when an attractive paper was
read on " The Great Seals of England", by Allan AVyon, Esq., F.S. A.
Scot., with lime-light illustrations.
EXCURSION TO MACCLESFIELD AND CONGLETON.
THURSDAY, AUG. 2nd.
The members to-day visited Macclesfield, under the guidance of J. P.
Earwaker, Esq., F.S. A. After inspecting the Church, the Savage
Chapel and monuments, the town maces, etc., the party proceeded by
carriages to Gawsworth to examine the monumental effigies of the
Fitton family.
A brief view was obtained, en passant, of Marton Chapel, a timbered
structure of the fourteenth century, and of Marton Hall. Progress
was then made to Congleton, where luncheon was provided at the Lion
and Swan Hotel. The mace of the Commonwealth period, and other
antiquities, were exhibited by the kindness of the Mayor.
A visit was then made to Astbury Church, and afterwards to Little
Moreton Hall, a remarkable example of half-timbered work.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONGRESS. 85
The evening meeting was held at Owens College (History Theatre)
at 8 o'clock, Col. Fishwick in the chair, when the following papers
were read : " Some Aspects of the Great Civil War in Lancashire", by
Rev. J. H. Stanning, M.A. ; "The Oldham Key", by Samuel Andrew,
Esq. ; "Shoe Lore", by H. S. Cuming, Esq., V.P., F.S.A.Scot. ; "The
Early Occupants in the Vicinity of the Mersey, Morecambe Bay, and
Manchester", by Dr. J. S. Phene, F.S.A.
EXCURSION TO NANTWICH, Etc.— FRIDAY, AUG. 3rd.
Members proceeded by train to Nantwich for the inspection of the
fine cruciform church and various ancient timber houses in the town.
After luncheon, visits were paid to Dorford Hall, an old Jacobean
building, and to the ancient churches at Acton and Bunbury, under
the guidance of Rev. T. W. Norwood, M.A., and James Hall, Esq.
In the evening the members and their friends were invited to a
conversazione at the Peel Park Museum, at 7 p.m., by the Mayor of
Salford (Sir William Bailey). In the course of the evening a paper
was read by H. Colley March, Esq., M.D., F.S.A., on "The Roman
Road on Blackstone Edge", and Mr. Alderman Mackinson gave an
account of the Borough Reeve's Court Records from 1597-1069.
SATURDAY, AUG. 4th.
Members this day proceeded by train, at 9.25 A.M., to Littleborough,
where carriages were in readiness for visiting Blackstone Edge. Here
the Roman Road, of very peculiar construction, was inspected under
guidance of Dr. H. Colley March, F.S.A., who gave a short account of
the history of the place.
(procccMnga of tQc Qleeociafton.
AVednesday, 2nd Jan. 1895.
R. E. Way, Esq., in the Chair.
R. H. Macdonald, Esq., of Curraghmore, Portlaw, Ireland, was elected
an Honorary Correspondent.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to be returned to the respective
donors of the following presents to the Library :
To the Society, for "Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological
Society", New Series, vol. ii, Part III.
Mr. Councillor Lukey sent for exhibition a photograph of a curious
little niche which had recently been discovered in demolishing the old
buildings in the rear of his establishment, High Street, Canterbury, to
clear the ground for a new hotel. The niche had a round-headed arch
of Norman date, and the whole had been found in fairly good con-
dition.
The following paper concerning it was then read :
THE DISCOVERY OF A NORMAN CRYPT AT CANTERBURY.
RY E. P. LOFTUS BROCK, ESQ., F.S.A., HON. TREASURER.
An ancient hostelry, formerly known as the King's Head, and now
belonging to Mr. Councillor Lukey, wine-merchant, is at present being
added to at the back in order to adapt the whole of the premises for
use as a modern hotel. The site is at the junction of Stone Street
with High Street. The frontage to the latter thoroughfare is formed
by a well-known timber and plaster fabric of seventeenth century
date for the most prominent portions ; but a small amount of observa-
tion only is necessary to show that the framework of the structure is
of a much older period ; and the angle-post at the corner of Stour
Street, and much of the side, shows clearly that this portion at least
dates from the fifteenth century.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 87
In excavating for the new building a crypt built of massive rubble
masonry was discovered. The thickness of the walls, and the recorded
fact that in the last century some Roman tessellated pavements of
much interest were found not far o(F from the present discovery, led
to the belief, locally, that the crypt in question was also of Roman
date.
I had to be at Canterbury several days after the discovery, and by
Mr. Lukey's courtesy I received every assistance in making survey of
what had been found. Unfortunately the arched ceiling and two of
the side-walls had been demolished, but suilicient remained to show
that the chamber had been 15 ft. 9 in. wide by 29 ft. 3 in. long (from
north to south) ; the length being at right angles to High Street, from
which it was 40 ft. back. This dimension, and the distance, 42 ft. 3 in.
(about), from Stour Street, will enable its position to be fairly well
recorded.
On the north, where it joined the existing buildings, the width was
reduced by a projection 2 ft. 6 in. by 1 ft. 10 in., and there were
traces of a doorway which formerly led into the High Street portion.
In the eastern wall, 4 ft. from the south wall, was a niche 1 ft. 8 in.
Wide, which . when found had a neatly executed round-headed arch
with a chamfered and a rounded edge. The arched roof had been
segmental in form, which gave a height to the chamber of about 9 ft.
to the springing ; but the original level was reduced to about 4 ft. only
by filling in. I have assumed High Street to be east and west for the
purposes of this description only.
During the progress of the excavations a large number of wrought
stones have been found, and also pottery. The stonework consists of
portions of window-tracery of fifteenth century date ; a capital corbel
with the head of a king, probably Edward III ; a pretty thirteenth
century pendent corbel ; and several pieces of Norman stonework, one
of which is the cap of a doorway jamb. These all appear to be from
some of the many demolished Canterbury churches, and similar to
what may be found in various parts of the city.
The pottery is of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries,
one or two jugs being perfect. A seventeenth century token, iosepii
siierwood ix— canterbury grocer, was also found, having a sack in
the centre of the obverse, and isa in that of the reverse.
It is satisfactory to record that Mr. Lukey proposes to have the
little arclied recess rebuilt in some part of the new building, and to
preserve all the discovered fragments also.
With respect to the theory of the Roman date, it may be added that
there is no evidence whatever to support it. The walling of flint is
88 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
similar to that of many Norman buildings in the city ; and the wrought
stone, which is Caen stone, has the diagonal tool-marks, in every case,
characteristic of the period assigned to them. The double edge to the
stonework of the recess indicates a well advanced Norman date rather
than an early one. No fragment of Roman pottery was among the
mass shown to me, found on the site, which is rather remarkable when
the large amount of area excavated is taken into consideration.
The position of the crypt, which I believe to have been part of some
domestic building, and not an ecclesiastical one, shows some relation
to the course of the High Street, and renders one more piece of evi-
dence that the latter was in existence in Norman times. Four
churches still stand on one side or other of its course, to some of which
a Saxon foundation may reasonably be assigned. This evidence carries
its existence to a period still farther removed, and it cannot be ignored
in the inquiry as to which was the course of the main Roman road
through the city. Was it the existing High Street 1 or was it the now
secondary road to its south, still called Watling Street 1
Mr. Brock also gave a preliminary account of a recently discovered
Roman villa, of considerable extent, in the parish of Darenth, Kent,
and promised a paper on a future occasion.
The Chairman exhibited an extensive collection of Roman Samian
fragments, some inscribed with potters' names, as | firmi . o |, frag-
ments of other kinds of ancient fictilia, a deeply scored Roman flue-tile,
the stamped handle of a Rhodian amphora, and other miscellanea, found,
with oaken piles, on the site of the hostelry known as "The Blue-Eyed
Maid", South wark, at the depth of 14 ft. below the modern surface of
the ground.
He also exhibited a silver medal of Charles I, bearing on the obverse
the King riding ; on the reverse an interesting and detailed view of
London, with legend, "Sol orbem rediens . sic rex illuminat urbem."
Over the sun, which is furnished with rays, and shines in the north,
looking over the water, is the mint-mark, or engraver's initial letter, E.
It bears date 1633.
The paper which was arranged to have been read by Mr. Birch was
postponed to the next meeting, on account of the small attendance of
members owing to the inclemency of the weather.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
89
Wednesday 16 January 1895.
0. II. Compton, Esq., V.P., in the Chair.
The Boston Public Library, Massachusetts, was elected to be a
Member of the Association.
J. H. Nicholson, Esq., Wilmslow, Cheshire
G. 0. Yates, Esq., F.S.A., Swinton, near Manchester
Dr. Colley Marsh, F.S.A., Rochdale
were elected Honorary Correspondents.
Thanks were ordered to be returned to the respective donors of the
following presents to the Library :
To the Society, for "Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History
Society" Proceedings during the year 1894.
„ „ for " The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries
of Ireland", Part 4, vol. iv.
}J ,, for "Archreologia Cambrensis", 5th Series, No. 45.
Mr. A. Oliver exhibited a nicely carved bench-end from the old
fittings of Manchester Cathedral. It represents on the one side a fox,
in the guise of an ecclesiastic, preaching to two geese, while a compa-
nion fox runs off with a third goose in its mouth. On the other side
the geese are hanging the delinquent to a cross beam.
Norman Font Bowl at Waddon, Wilts.
Rev. G. B. Lewis, M. A., exhibited large photographs of the font
at Toller, of which some notice has already been given in vol. L, pp.
90 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
329-331. He also exhibited the photograph of a Norman font which
he found set up as a flower-pot in a farm-garden at Waddon, npar Hil-
perton, AViltshire, in August 1893. It had then been recently found
embedded in the ground. There is little doubt that it belonged to the
adjacent church.
Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S.A., Hon. Sec, read a paper on "The
Importance of Preserving the Records and Literary Antiquities of
Wales, as illustrated by some recent Publications." The paper was
illustrated with some fac-similes of ancient Welsh MSS.
In the discussion which ensued some of those present took part at some
length, and pointed out what was now going on in Wales in this behalf.
The following communication was then read :
RECENT DISCOVERIES IN BRISTOL.
BY DR. A. C. FRYER.
Some interesting discoveries have been made in the course of the
demolition of the White Lion hostelry at the junction of St. James'
back and Bridewell Street. A tiled floor was discovered, and some
seventy-five of the tiles are believed to be intact. One of the tiles had
the monogram I.H.S. upon it ; the others were embellished with coats
of arms. A chapel in the burial-ground of St. James' Priory1 is men-
tioned by William of Worcester. Did the pavement which has now
been found belong to this chapel 1
The Western Daily Press comments on the fact that " a local archaeo-
logist says there is no certainty that there ever was a building on the
site dedicated to religious purposes, and it will be necessary to find
out, if possible, whether there was a large house in which there might
have been a private chapel. In connection with the house of Grey
Friars in Lewin's Mead, remains of oak coffins, portions of skulls, etc.,
have been discovered. The coffins could not have been buried less than
three and a half centuries ago for certain, and the interments might
have taken place five or six hundred years ago. A leaden pipe has
been found some little distance below the present gas and water-mains.
Probably the Friars allowed the dwellers in the house of the Bartho-
lomews, in Narrow Lewin's Mead, to participate in the grand supply of
water which they derived from lands to the north, but also from an
unlimited source of supply within the precincts of their house."
These discoveries are interesting as this locality formerly abounded
with religious houses. The parish church of St. James, with its fine
Norman nave, is only a fragment of a former great priory chuixih.
Some interesting discoveries have been made in the choir of the
1 A house of the Franciscans or Friars Minors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 91
Cathedral Church of Bristol, which is now undergoing restoration. At
the suggestion of some local antiquaries a trench has been dug in the
centre of the choir, east and west, from the second to the fourth bay
from the screen, with the object of unearthing portions of the Norman
church. A foundation was discovered, which may have carried the
east wall of the earlier building. It is thought that this is a part of
the Norman church ; but opinions seem to be divided as to the date
and object of the foundation some twelve paces further east. Some
think this supported a screen which divided the Lady Chapel from the
choir.
Wednesday, G February 1895.
E. P. L. Brock, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer,
in the Chair.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to be returned to the respective
donors of the following presents to the Library :
To the Proprietors, for "Reliquary", New Series, vol. i, Part 1.
To the Author, for " Descriptive Zoopraxography, or the Science of
Animal Locomotion." By Edwd. Maybridge. Pennsylvania,
1893. 8vo.
To the Society, for " Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire
Archaeological Society, 1892-3", vol. xvi, Part 2.
Mr. Barrett described a series of fragments of zigzag Norman
worked stones in Croydon Palace, built up as old material, probably
part of a demolished doorway.
Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S. A., Hon. Sec., read a paper entitled " The
Igel Monument in Germany", by Dr. A. C. Fryer. Two photographs
of this remarkable Roman erection were exhibited, and it is hoped
that the paper will be printed in a future part of the Journal.
Rev. Dr. W. Sparrow-Simpson, F.S. A., read a paper entitled "On
the Head of Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, a Relic
preserved in the Church of St. Gregory, Sudbury, Suffolk", and exhi-
bited some drawings in illustration of the paper, which we hope will
be printed hereafter.
Wednesday, 20 February 1895.
C. H. Compton, Esq., V.P., in the Chair.
J. E. Thornley, Esq., Nether Whitacre, near Birmingham, was duly
elected a Member.
Miss Edith Bradley, 4 Caroline Place, Mecklenburgh Square, was
duly elected an Honorary Corresponding Member.
92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to be returned to the respective
donors of the following presents to the Library :
To the Author, for "A System of Measures." By Wordsworth Donis-
thorpe, Esq. Spottiswoode and Co., 1895.
To the Society, for "Annales de la Societe d'Archeologie de Bruxelles",
tome ixeme, Pt. I, 1893.
Mr. E. P. L. Brock, F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer, exhibited a drawing of
a steelyard-weight, and read the following : —
" Mrs. Dent, of Sudeley Castle, exhibited drawings of a steelyard-
weight which was found some time since at Winchcombe, Gloucester-
shire. It is globular in form, of bronze, and, judging by its weight,
filled with lead. On the neck is a band formed of zigzags in sunk
lines, and on the face are four elongated shields charged thus : —
(1), three lions passant guardant in pale, England ; (2), lion rampant ;
(3), a double-headed eagle displayed ; (4), a lion rampant within a
bordure compony. These arms are similar in style, and with certain
correspondence, to those which have been observed on certain other
steelyard-weights found in various localities in England from time to
time. Two from Norwich1 are all but identical in form to this example,
and the ornamental bands in each example, below the loop for suspen-
sion, are all but exactly similar. Other specimens have been found at
Fulbroke,2 "Warwickshire, in Oxfordshire,3 and at Blewbury,4 Berks.
These all vary in size while they agree in style ; and although there
is the diversity of arms referred to, these objects have very generally
been ascribed to Richard, King of the Romans, Earl of Cornwall and
of Poictou. The arms on the object exhibited may be taken as those,
1st, of England ; 2nd, of Poictou ; 3rd, of the Holy Roman Empire ;
and 4th, of Cornwall, although the roundles, as borne on the bordure
by Earl Richard's son, appear here of different form.
" The occurrence of Earl Richard's devices on these curious articles,
found at distances so far apart, appears to indicate some sort of autho-
ritative oversight over their production ; but it may be open for con-
sideration if the object described did not owe its existence to some
still more intimate connection with Earl Richard. He founded Hayles
Abbey, where he was buried, and this site is but a short two miles
from Winchcombe, where it was found.
"The weight of the object is 6 lbs.; and it will be noted, by compari-
son with the others met with elsewhere, that this is different from
that of any of them. The height is 5 J in., and the circumference 10 in.
1 Illustrated in Archceologia, xxv, p. 589.
J See Archaeological Journal, ii, p. 203. 3 Ibid., viii, p. 426.
4 See Society of Antiquaries. Proceedings, 2nd Series, vii, p. 394.
/^o^y~y v^y yvA
^/^L.\Z
BRONZE STEEL-YAED WEIGHT FOUND AT WINCHCOMBE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
93
"While no examples of thirteenth century date appear yet to have
been found without devices that may reasonably be attributed to Earl
Richard, yet there have not unfrequently been found either whole
steelyards, or their weights, of Roman date. The Journal of the Asso-
ciation (vol. i, p. 147) contains an illustration of one of the latter
objects in the form of a human head ; and in the British Museum are
three admirable examples, one from the Roach Smith Collection."
The following communication was then read :
NOTES ON A BED-WAKMEE.
BY RICHARD QUICK, ESQ., CURATOR OP THE HORNIMAN MUSEUM.
The object shown in the accompanying drawing belongs to a class of
domestic utensils which were in use anterior to the employment of
copper and brass warming-pans, and was once a familiar article (though
not very ornamental) in English households ; but since the invention
or introduction of improved means of heating rooms by oil and gas-
stoves, it has completely disappeared, and I believe has not yet received
notice in the Proceedings of any Society. The specimen before you
came from an old farmhouse near Bramley in Surrey.
Mediaeval Bed- Warmer.
It is formed by a framework of wood slightly curved. The curved
pieces are 32| in. in length, 1 in. wide, and 1^ in. thick, and are held
together by four strips, the centre ones 21 in. long, and the outside
two 17 in. long by 1 J- in. wide, and ^ in. thick. This forms the base,
to which are attached six upright, flattish pieces of wood (three on
each side), 21 in. in length, 1| wide, by \ in. thick. The upper part of
the framework corresponds to the lower in size and measurement. In
94 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
the centre of the base is a tray of sheet iron, 12^ in. square, with a
| in. rim turned up all round ; and on it is riveted an iron tripod, very
rude in construction, and in this is placed an iron cylindrical-shaped
burner or brazier, 5| in. high by 4 in. in diameter, perforated with
five vertical rows of four holes, each hole being about the size of a
threepenny-piece.
This was for burning the charcoal in, and above it, on the frame-
work, is riveted a plate of iron, 14 in. by 12| in,, to reflect the
ascending heat. The whole was placed inside the bed, and the bed-
clothes drawn over, so the heat was dispersed, the clothes being pre-
vented by the wooden cage-like framework from being burned or
scorched.
It is difficult to assign a date to this interesting specimen, as it is
the only one that has come under my notice, and I am not aware of
the existence of a similar object in any other Museum.
These warmers being mostly of -wood, and taking up a fair amount
of space, were, as they became obsolete or disused, no doubt generally
broken up for firewood, or economised for making other things more
required, and so it happens that very few of these curious articles have
been preserved and handed down to us.
It is also probable that the apparatus was a very dangerous one,
unless the bed-clothes were drawn, or rather lifted, over it most care-
fully, and therefore the article never even got into general use, as
with its Italian cousin, the scaldino, which is a somewhat similar con-
trivance for warming beds. It is used at the present clay in some
parts of Italy, although it is an old method, and consists of a simple,
round wooden cage, open at the bottom, inside of which is suspended,
by a strong wire or hook, the earthenware scaldino, a kind of terra-
cotta pot of graceful shape, with a circular handle by which it is
attached to the hook of the cage. This is to hold the burning charcoal.
The whole apparatus, like the old English one described, is introduced
under the bed-clothes, and so pi'oduces the same effect.
To return to the one under consideration. The wood throughout is
mahogany, with one or two exceptions ; and the bars are let in, and
fastened with wooden pegs, in the same manner as Elizabethan furni-
ture. This unique specimen has recently been acquired by Mr. E. J.
Horniman for his Museum at Forest Hill, and has been placed in
the Elizabethan Bedroom in company with other media'val household
objects.
Mr. A. Oliver exhibited a Bellarmine of small dimensions, with a
shield of arms on the front of the body, — two chevrons compony
between three estoiles of six points.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 95
Mr. Brock exhibited a collection of casts and sealing-wax impressions
of early and late mediaeval seals, including several of the oldest type
of heraldic seals.
Mr. R. B. Barrett exhibited a rubbing of, and read notes on, a
sepulchral brass of Nicholas Gaynesford and his wife, in All Saints'
Church, Carshalton. Surrey, within the South Chapel, formerly the
sanctuary of the old Chapel.
Mr. T. Blashill, V.P., exhibited five documents of the fourteenth
century, relating to Sutton in Holderness, near Hull, and described
them, giving an account of the descent of this manor, which formerly
belonged to Saher de Sutton. Mr. Blashill's forthcoming work on this
parish, in which these deeds are printed and translated, will be looked
forward to with interest.
Mr. Brock read a paper on " The Hill of Tara", co. Tipperary, by
Mr. R. H. McDonald, which will be printed, it is hoped, in a future
number of the Journal.
Wednesday, 6 March 1895.
E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Treas., in the Chair.
The following were duly elected members : —
Hull Public Library
Mrs. Chas. Lambert, Coventry Street, W.
W. Salt Bassington, F.S.A., Moseley, Birmingham, was elected an
Honorary Corresponding Member.
Rev. J. Cave-Browne, M. A., read a paper on " Otham Church, Parish,
and Manor-House, Kent." This was illustrated with a rubbing from
a brass and a collection of photographs. It will be printed, it is hoped,
in a future part of the Journal.
Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S.A., Hon. Sec, read a paper entitled
" The Doors of the Church of Sta. Sabina in Rome", by S. Russell-
Forbes, Ph.D. This interesting communication was accompanied by
a photograph of the doors, showing a very elaborate series of ancient
bassi-relievi of an archaic Christian period. It is hoped that it may
be printed hereafter.
($nftcjuarian Jntefftgence.
Wenhaston, Suffolk, curious Parish Records. By Rev. J. B. Clare,
Vicar of Wenhaston. — Mr. Clare lias prepared this little brochure,
which contains many notices of the antiquities of his parish, with the
desire of arousing interest in efforts to carry on the necessary repara-
tion of his church. There appear to have been three churches in ancient
times here, if we reckon with St. Peter's and St. Margaret's the Chapel
of St. Bartholomew, of which there is some evidence.
One of the most remarkable antiquities is the painting, on oak, of
the Last Judgment, at the east end of the nave ; supposed, on good
authority, to have been painted about a.d. 1480, and covered up since
1549, in obedience to an Act of Parliament of that date. It was acci-
dentally discovered by having been taken down, and placed where
heavy rain washed off the whitewash, and disclosed the various colours,
which attracted attention. A photograph of this relic may be had
from the Vicar.
The church wardens' accounts commence in 1645, and contain many
remarkable items ; and there is an inventory of the goods, ornaments,
and other things appertaining to the parish church in 1686. Per-
haps the most interesting object connected with Wenhaston is the fine
antique bronze Venus holding a dove, found many years ago, and now
in possession of Rev. S. H. Turner, M. A. The list of Vicars begins in
1217, and is pretty complete.
Mr. Clare may be congratulated on his success in gathering together,
in such modest dimensions, so many notices of parochial antiquities
relating to his district, and we hope his object in obtaining funds for
necessary repairs may soon be accomplished.
Early London Theatres: in the Fields. By T. F. Ordish, F.S.A.
(The Camden Library : E. Stock, 62 Paternoster Row.) — This is an
excellent and prettily got up little volume, summing up, in not too
long or prosaic a way, all we know of the London theatres before the
Restoration. It deals with the invention and construction and the
working economy of the playhouses, their localities, rise and fall, and
the actors who took part therein, and may be looked on as a text-book
on the popular subject of which it treats.
i
ST. KUAN S WELL.
> ? .
.-> h-'^-r
•'■ V- i
fflt. V-'SF^
ST. cyr's WELL, LUXULYAN.
ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE. 97
Segontium. — Since the reminiscences, printed above at pp. 21-24, were
recorded, an examination of the recessed tomb in the south transept
was made, when it was discovered that it had been appropriated by a
local family about one hundred and eighty years ago, and very probably
St. Beblig's remains were then placed elsewhere, without record ; and
at the same time the effigy, no doubt, was removed and built into the
wall of the nave, where recently found.
In pulling down the south wall of the nave a fine Roman altar was
found built into it. One side is mutilated ; the other three sides bear
respectively a jug, a patera, and a ring carved in good form. This, when
I saw it, was in the south transept, but in a bad light for examination.
In the north end of " Caer Seiont", just within the camp-wall, was
discovered, about thirty-five years ago, what appeared to have been an
ancient smithy or smelting-place ; and near it a shaft which, after
being opened and cleared out to a great depth, until a strong wooden
platform was reached, was rashly filled up without a proper explora-
tion. As there was a similar shaft discovered, about 1845, in the mili-
tary or upper camp, when the excavations were made for the founda-
tions of Llanbeblig Vicarage, and many Roman remains discovered, I
am strongly of opinion that there was an underground communication
between the two camps. At a considerable depth in each shaft there
was a massive oak-staging which it is to be regretted was not thoroughly
examined, especially that at "Caer Seiont", when it was opened as
deep as the wooden platform. — H. S.
Recent Discovery of Roman Antiquities at Bath. — An interesting
report has recently been submitted by Major C. E. Davis, F.S.A., Sur-
veyor of Works, to the Baths' Committee. He stated that in following
up the Roman duct which was being excavated, the workmen had
come across another Roman drain built of colossal stones. In remov-
ing the soil several antiquities had been discovered, including a bronze,
barbed fish-hook about an inch long, and a number of stones for finger-
rings, in chalcedony, sardonyx, amethyst, and bloodstone, all engraved
or partly engraved with figures. Major Davis considered their pre-
sence might indicate that the smaller rooms of the Baths were used as
shops, and that a lapidary's was one of the trades patronised by the
bathers. The Committee have decided that Major Davis should con-
tinue the excavation of the duct for another three weeks.
Ancient and Holy Wells in Cornwall. By M. and L. Quiller-Couch.
(London : C. J. Clark.) — This is a dainty little volume devoted to one
of the most attractive subdivisions of archeology. The contemplation
1895 7
08
ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
of holy wells leads us at once not only into considerations of the primi-
rehiteeture which generally covers them, but into the illimitable
realm of spirit-land, where the benign genius loci ever rests ready to
assist troubled and impotent folk with the medicine of faith and
•
■p -
-
-
Holy Well, Chapel Farm, St. Breward.
inspiration. Although written in a simple manner, and not claiming
to be exhaustive, notices have been gathered up by the writers to shed
light on close upon a hundred ancient wells, and this of one county alone.
Their appearance and present condition vary. From nothing at all to
[I.
gaBv
•*
*K.
J*»/i
DUPATH WELL, ST. DOMIXICK.
HOLY WELL, ROCHE.
ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE. 99
indicate position, or from a few loose stones, the edifice raised by pious
hands passes upwards, in grade, to the rude square or parallelogram
with pent roof, as at St. Cyr's Well, Luxulyan, and St. Ruan's ; in the
former of which it will be noticed the rough asldar, with irregular
width of course and wide joint, points out unmistakably a very remote
origin. The arch-head cut from a single block (a method which, as
will be noticed in these illustrations, is not infrequent in these Cornish
wells) may be traced back to Saxon times at least (as at Deerhurst),
and probably belongs to an older period still.
Ascending in order of development, we come to a class where the
arch is more regularly formed, mouldings used with effect, and an
attractive ensemble produced, as will be seen on examining the illus-
tration of the holy well at Roche. Last of all, and most elaborate, is
the little church-like pile of Dupath "Well, St. Dominick, the details
of which speak for themselves. There are, of course, many intermedi-
ary forms • but these views have been selected as forming typical
examples of class-arrangement.
In the literary history and folk-lore of wells the authors are tho-
roughly versed. Not only have they consulted the county histories
and local press, but by personal inspection of these vestiges of anti-
quity, and pains cheerfully undertaken when repairs were necessary,
they have been enabled to add new historic facts to the meagre notices
so usually existing, and they have thereby earned for their book a
place among works of genuine research.
The glamour which in all countries and at all times, except the pre-
sent, has gathered around wells, is not wanting to those of Cornwall,
although, perhaps, it is lingering slowly before passing away for ever.
The presiding spirit, be he saint or fairy, god or demon, is ever ready
with never-ending store of tutelary patronage to be shed benevolently
around the humblest votary who may be in search of a simple answer
to an inquiry not hard to solve, or a natural remedy for a trivial com-
plaint. The power of faith has never yet been confined within limits;
and if the virtue of these ancient wells brought salutary results to
faithful pilgrimages, as they undoubtedly did, their value must never
be depreciated. Even now their waters possess therapeutic properties
which cannot always be accounted for by chemical analysis. We have,
for example, before us at this moment an account of a newly found
spring in the island of TenerifFe, the water of which is found by medical
use to be fraught with power of producing certain well-marked effects
which would not be at all indicated by its composition. For such a
charming volume on all these matters the authors may indeed be
thanked.
100 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
We have just received from Mr. Stock, of 62 Paternoster Row, the
fifth volume of English Topography, collected from the Gentleman's
Magazine. This comprises the chief articles which come under this
head, relating to Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Herefordshire, Hertford-
shire, and Huntingdonshire. Although in some cases the information
supplied is, perhaps, a little antiquated, there is much sound know-
ledge displayed in the treatment of antiquarian topography by the old
writers, and it is interesting to find notices of many relics which are
now dispersed or lost. Winchester and Hereford Cathedrals, St. Alban's
Abbey, Dore, Romsey, Christchurch, and other prominent places, have
been fruitful subjects for the pens of learned antiquaries in the columns
of the Magazine, and Mr. G. L. Gomme has put the essays before us in
an attractive way.
Mr. Stock also sends us The Friend of Sir Philip Sidney, being
Selections from the Works of Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke, by Alexander
B. Grosart. — A pretty little addition to The Elizabethan Library, of
which we have noticed other numbers. Those of our readers who love
the sprightly wit and aphorisms of this age will find a great pleasure
in perusing this little volume.
Correction {vide Journal, vol. xlix, p. 298, "Discovery of a Roman
Hypocaust at Chester").— In preparing the illustrative plate I inad-
vertently tinted it, and so it had to be redrawn. In doing so the let-
ters of reference were wrongly placed, for A refers to the uppermost
(dotted; squares ; and so the rest should be B, C, D, and E. This,
which is necessary for the understanding of the text, has, by a second
oversight, remained uncorrected. — F. H. Williams.
PLATE I.
SEALS OFTHE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER.
THE JOURNAL
OF THE
Bnttslj ftrrijacolocjtcal animation ♦
JUNE 1895.
SEALS OF THE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER.
BY ALLAN WYON, ESQ., V.P. AND HON. TREASURER,
F.S.A., F.R.G.S.,
CHIEF ENGRAVER OF HER MAJESTY'S SEALS.
(Read at Winchester, 2nd Auyust 1803.)
HE devices upon the seals used by the
Bishops of Winchester during the last
seven hundred and fifty years may
roughly be divided into three types or
styles, — the simple, the elaborate, and
the heraldic ; or, the early, the mediaeval,
and the modern. Examples of each of
these styles are before us this evening. These casts I
have obtained from a variety of sources. Some have been
presented to me by my friend Mr. Henry A. Bye (to
whom I am also indebted for much valuable assistance in
deciphering the same), some I have obtained from the
British Museum, others have come to me through various
other channels. In all, I lay before you casts of thirty-
seven episcopal seals which have been used by twenty-five
Bishops of Winchester. I do not know of impressions of
any further seals of this series as now surviving, but pro-
bably some more may from time to time be met with.
There is, however, ample material before us to enable us
1895 8
102 SEALS OF THE
to see the varied styles of all the episcopal seals of Win-
chester, and from them really to trace, in broad outline,
the types of all the Anglican Bishops' seals which have
been in use during the last eight centuries.
Of some of the seals to which attention is now directed,
a description will be found in the Catalogue of Seals in
tlie British Museum, drawn up with laborious care by our
Honorary Secretary, Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S.A. I
propose, however, to give rather a fuller account of some
of these, such as necessarily could not be introduced into
what purports only to be a catalogue of seals.
The first group of seals is composed of the early or
simple designs.
HENRY OF BLOIS, A.D. 1129-1171.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3|- x 2-L in. (Plate I, fig. 1.)
At the British Museum.
The Bishop standing on a small platform, vested in
albe, dalmatic with apparel, chasuble with pillar orphrey,
and amice ; the ends of a stole issue from under the dal-
matic, and appear over the albe. The right hand of the
Bishop is raised in benediction, his left hand holds a
crozier ; from his left wrist hangs a maniple ; on his head
is an extremely low mitre or cap.
Legend, in which the S's are reversed, —
HENRICVS DEI GRA WIN | TONIENSIS EPISCOPVS
Counterseal.
Oval, f x| in. (Plate I, fig. 2.)
Two heads facing one another, each wearing the modius.
Mr. Birch sees in the field faint traces of an inscription.
The seal most probably was an antique gem, and was
most likely worn by the Bishop as a ring.
The practice of such gems being so worn and used by
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 103
Bishops prevailed for a considerable time ; but about a
quarter of a century after the decease of this Bishop the
practice was discontinued, as in 1194 Pope Innocent III
issued an ordinance that henceforth episcopal rings should
be of solid gold, or set only with a precious stone, which
was to be plain, without any device upon it.
RICHARD TOOLIVE, A.D. 1174-1188.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica, 3| x 2^ in. (Plate I, fig. 3.)
At the British Museum.
The Bishop standing on a square corbel, vested in albe,
dalmatic with wide apparel, chasuble, and amice, wearing
a low mitre, with his right hand raised in benediction, and
with his left hand raised, grasping acrozier. In the field,
to the right side of the Bishop, is a sinister hand holding
a long, thin wand terminating in a cross patee (probably
meant for a processional cross) ; to the left of the Bishop
is a pentacle.
Legend, within beaded lines, —
►fr : RICARDVS : D[EI] : GRATIA : W[I] I N[T]ONIENS[IS] :
EPISCOPVS : '
Counter seal.
Vesica. If x lj in. (Plate I, fig. 4.)
Full length figures of St. Peter, with keys, on the left
of seal, and St. Paul, with book, on the right. Each
Saint places one foot upon an orb filling up the base of
the design.
Legend, within beaded lines, —
4«SVNT.MICHI.SINT.Q\ BONI. I PETRVS . PAVL'. Q'. PATRON I
Assembled as we are at Winchester, and having on
Monday last visited the Hospital of St. Cross, it may
interest the members of the Congress to know that an
impression of this seal is attached to a parchment docu-
ment still preserved in the British Museum, dated Dover,
10th April 1185, stating that it was sealed in the pre-
104 SEALS OF THE
sence of King Henry II, Eracl ins, Patriarch of Jerusalem,
and others. The document itself is an agreement whereby
the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem sur-
rendered to Richard, Bishop of Winchester, the charge
and administration of the Hospital of St. Cross, without
the walls of Winchester. The Bishop raised the number
of poor entertained therein from one hundred and thir-
teen to two hundred and thirteen, of whom two hundred
were to be fed, and thirteen fed and clothed.
GODFREY DE LUCY, A.D 1189-1204.
Seed of Dignity.
Vesica, about 3j x 2^ in. (Plate I, tig. 5.)
At the British Museum.
The Bishop standing on a square corbel, vested in
albe, dalmatic, chasuble, narrow amice, and maniple
hanging from left wrist, wearing a low mitre ; with right
hand raised in benediction, and with left hand raised,
holding a crozier. In the field, to the right side of the
Bishop, is the west end of a cathedral ; to the left of the
Bishop is a part of an arm, draped, and a dexter hand
holding erect two keys endorsed, wards upwards, and
conjoined at the bows.
Leo-end, —
►fr.SIGILLVM ...IA.WI SIS : EPI
Counterseal.
Vesica. If x 1-^ in. (Plate I, fig. G.)
The base of this counterseal represents water, out of
which, and at right angles to its surface, issues the head
of a luce, or pike-fish, holding in its mouth some small
creature, probably meant for a bird. Between the lower
part of the jaws is a pastoral staff, fesse-ways ; and on
each side of the head, an estoile of eight points. The
legend shows that the introduction of the fish was meant
as' a play upon the Bishop's name, Lucy, —
PRESVLIS 7 GENERIS . SIGNO CONSIGNOR VTROQ'
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 105
(lam mar/,c</ with the double sign of headship and oj
race), and shows that even in such a serious matter as a
seal the Bishop was not above indulging his jocular
humour.
PETER DES ROCHES, A.D. 1205-1238.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3| x 2 in. (Plate I, fig. 7.)
At the Society of Antiquaries.
The Bishop standing upon a small platform, with right
hand raised in benediction, and left hand raised, holding
a crozier with large crook. The Bishop wears mitre,
chasuble with pillar-orphrey, dalmatic, albe, and stole,
the two ends of the last running from under the dalmatic
over the albe ; and on his left wrist a fringed maniple.
Legend, —
[Hh PET]RVS : DEI : GRATIA : WIN I TONIENSIS : EPISCOP[VS]
AYMER DE LESIGNAN OR VALENCE,
A.D. 1250-1260.
Seal of Dignity as Bishop- Elect.
Vesica. 2| x If in. (Plate II, fig. 8.)
At the Society of Antiquaries.
The Bishop-Elect in albe, amice, and dalmatic; his arms
folded across the body, with apparels on sleeves ; holding
in his hands a book erect ; from his left wrist hangs a
maniple ; on each side of the Bishop-Elect are columns
supporting a trefoil canopy, the top of which is finished
with pinnacles and tracery ; between the Bishop- Elect
and the columns on each side is a six-pointed estoile.
Legend, within beaded borders, —
SIGILLU ADEMARI DEI [GRA I EPI] ELECTI
WlTHONIEN
Counterseal.
Vesica. Ifx 1 in. (Plate II, fig. 9.)
The Bishop-Elect, in albe and amice, with hands folded
on breast, in prayer, standing on a corbel.
106 SEALS OF THE
Legend, —
>£< CTRA . S . A . ELECTI I WINTONIENSIS ^
This Bishop, brother to King Henry III, was elected
by the Chapter to the See of Winchester on the 4th Nov.
1250. His election was confirmed by the Pope on the
14th Jan. 1251 ; but he was not consecrated until the
year 1260. In the same year he died, and was buried in
the Cathedral at Winchester, near the high altar. Dur-
ing the ten years between his election and consecration
he administered the affairs of the See, of which fact this
seal is an indirect witness.
JOHN OF EXETER, A.D. 1262-1265.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3 x If in. (Plate II, fig. 10.)
At the Society of Antiquaries.
The Bishop standing on small platform, vested in albe,
dalmatic, chasuble, and amice; on the breast is the ratio-
nale, a curious brooch often worn from about the close
of the twelfth century until nearly the end of the thir-
teenth century ; the Bishop's right hand is raised in
benediction ; his left is raised, holding a crozier ; in the
field, on the right side of the Bishop, under a small tre-
foil canopy, is a half-length figure of St. Paul with a
sword in his right hand ; to the Bishop's left, under a
similar canopy, is a half-length figure of St. Peter with
the keys ; between the canopy, on the right side of the
Bishop, and under his hand, is a crescent ; in a corre-
sponding position on the left of the Bishop is an eight-
pointed star ; the ground displays a diamond-shaped
diaper.
Legend, —
IOHfANNIS . DEIl . GRACIA I WINTONIEN . EPISCCTU[S]
Counterseal.
Vesica. 2^x If in. (Plate II, fig. 11.)
A sword erect, hilt upwards, and two keys erect, wards
upwards, between the heads of St. Paul and St. Peter ;
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 107
over the head of St. Paul is an eight-pointed star ; be-
neath a trefoil arch is the half-figure of the Bishop in
profile, praying, face to right ; under the raised arm are
the letters ioh.
Legend, —
± SUM VESTER NATUS PR | OVECTUS PONTIFICAT'
It is noteworthy that on this seal and counterseal
St. Paul has the precedence over St. Peter.
NICHOLAS OF ELY, A.D. 1268-1280.
Seal of Dignity (fragment only).
Vesica. Probably 3x2 in. (Plate II, fig. 12.)
At the British Museum.
The Bishop standing with his right hand raised in
benediction, and grasping a crozier with his left hand.
The Bishop is vested in chasuble, amice, dalmatic with
sleeves, albe with tight sleeves, gloves, maniple, and
mitre ; upon his breast he wears a rationale. In the field
of the seal, upon each side of the Bishop, is a trefoil
opening.
Legend, —
NTONIENSI
Secretum or Counterseal (fragment only).
Vesica. Probably if x 1 J in.
(Plate II, fig. 13.)
At the Public Record Office.
The Bishop vested in albe, amice, and cope, wearing a
mitre, stands upon a carved corbel under an arched and
cusped canopy, holding in his two hands a book. The
cope is fastened with a morse. Under side-canopies are
panels ; the one on the Bishop's right has a circular open-
ing, through which is shown the head of St. Peter ;
above the opening are two keys erect, endorsed, with
wards upwards, and bows conjoined ; on the Bishop's left,
through a similar opening, is seen the head of St. Paul ;
108 SEALS OF THE
above the opening is a sword erect, point upwards ;
beneath the opening- are three small arches, and lower
still is a trefoil.
The only remaining portion of the legend shows the
letters cli or elt.
It will be noticed that in this seal the order of prece-
dence of the two Saints is that which has been subse-
quently most usually followed : St. Peter takes the place
of honour before St. Paul.
JOHN OF PONTOISE, A.D. 1282-1304.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3x2 in. (Plate II, fig. 14.)
At the British Museum.
The Bishop standing upon a carved corbel, with his
right hand raised in benediction, and holding a crozier
with his left hand ; wearing mitre, broad amice fastened
with small rationale or brooch, chasuble, dalmatic with
wide sleeves, ornamented cuffs, and apparel, albe, and
fringed maniple. The opening of the dalmatic is high,
and richly fringed. In the field of the seal, on the right
hand side of the Bishop, is a fleur-de-lis ; and on his left
are two flowers growing on one stalk, slipped.
Legend, —
^ S : IOHANNIS : DEI : GRA I WINTONIEN : EPISCOPI
The seals, so far, have mostly been of a type marked
by simplicity of design and directness of meaning. Dur-
ing the fourteenth century, however, the mediceval or
elaborate type of seal was developed. In the seals of
this type architectural embellishments were greatly in-
creased. Before this, as we have seen, some Bishops had
placed canopies over their heads. The canopies had been
followed by shaftings or columns supporting these over-
head decorations until the Bishop stood in a niche, and
then the idea of the rich tabernacle-work of the four-
teenth century was fully suggested. This led to the
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 109
seals of the type which now follows, in which "religious"
ideas were quickly developed. Representations of the
Deity were attempted, figures of the Holy Mother and
Child and of patron Saints were introduced, and became
the order of the day.
In these seals the Bishop himself was squeezed into a
small space in the lower part of the design, where he
was generally represented kneeling. In such a position,
and in so confined a space, the appearance of the Bishop
was not always pleasing. On many of such seals the
Bishop appears as if deposed from his lawful position,
and relegated to a place of torture below, from which he
is looking up to see if there is any prospect of release.
Notwithstanding, however, the position and attitude of
the Bishops in these designs, many of the seals at this
time were of a most beautiful, artistic character.
Another interesting feature of these seals is the intro-
duction of shields bearing the arms of the diocese over
which the Bishop presided, and the Bishop's own per-
sonal arms. Here, again, the seals reflect another advance
in the arts made during that period. A wider use of,
and a greater exactness in, heraldry had set in, and these
facts find illustration in the seals.
HENRY WOODLOCK, A.D. 1306-1316.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3x2 in. (Plate II, fig. 15.)
At the College, Winchester.
The Bishop standing upon a carved corbel with his
right hand raised in benediction, and with his left hand
raised, holding a crozier. The Bishop is vested in mitre,
chasuble, amice, maniple, dalmatic, albe, and stole, both
ends of which fall from under the dalmatic over the albe.
The dalmatic is ornamented with an apparel. On each
side of the Bishop is a six-foil opening, through which
are seen two heads, presumably those of Saints Peter and
Paul, one in each opening. Under the opening to the
Bishop's right is the letter \) ; under that to his left, the
figure M. Over the Bishop's head is a trefoil Gothic
110 SEALS OF THE
canopy with pinnacles and crockets, the canopy spring-
ing from carved corbels.
Legend, —
FRAP: HENRICVS : 01 : GRA | WINTONIEN[SIS] : EPV[S]
Counterseal.
Vesica. 2j x l£ in. (Plate II, fig. 16.)
A finely carved niche of three storeys. In the top,
under a trefoil and crocketed arch with large finials, is a
half-length figure of the Virgin Mary, crowned, holding
the Holy Child. On one side of the figures there is foli-
age, and on the other side there are some lilies. In the
second storey, which is divided into two compartments
by a slender column supporting two trefoiled canopies,
are the half-length figures of St. Peter to the left, and
St. Paul to the right, with their usual emblems. In the
lowest storey, which is again divided as the second, are
the half-length figures of two Bishops, both with their
right hands raised in benediction, and with their left
hands holding croziers ; each Bishop is vested in mitre,
chasuble, and amice. In the base of the seal, under a tre-
foil arch, is a half-length figure of the Bishop in prayer
turned to the right, vested in mitre and chasuble, with a
crozier resting on his left arm.
Legend, —
SIT : XPO : GRATUS : HEN | RICI : PONTIFICATE'S :
The significance of I). £3E. upon the Seal of Dignity is
that the Bishop was the second Bishop of Winchester of
the name of Henry, the first of that name having been
Henry of Blois (1129-1171).
JOHN DE SANDALE, A.D. 1316-1319.
Counter seal.
Vesica. 2h x l| in. (Plate III, fig. 17.)
At Magdalen College, Oxford.
This seal is much broken. In the upper part are the
Holy Virgin and Child seated, most probably under a
PLATE II
SEALS OFTHE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. Ill
canopy. In the centre of the seal, under canopies, are
full-length figures of St. Peter to the left, and St. Paul
to the right, with their usual emblems ; in the base of
the seal, under an arch, is the Bishop kneeling in prayer,
turned to the left ; in the field, on each side of the
columns supporting the canopies, there is a shield bear-
ing a cross charged with a mitre, and in the first quarter
is a fleur-de-lis.
Legend, — XPRISTO :
JOHN STRATFORD, ? A.D. 1323-1333.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. Probably 3x2 in. (Plate III, fig. 18.)
At the British Museum.
The impression of this seal is very defective. The
Bishop is standing, no doubt in benediction, vested in
mitre, chasuble, dalmatic with wide sleeves, and maniple,
the ends of which are very broad ; he is holding a crozier
with an extremely simple head.
Legend, —
SIGILLVM : IOH
This impression is from a sulphur-cast in the British
Museum, and is assigned as above; but from the whole
design of the seal, the form of the vestments, the simpli-
city of the crozier, and the style of the lettering, I am
led to believe that the seal must have been of a date
considerably earlier than 1323. Of course it may not
have been the seal of any Bishop of Winchester, as no
John appears in the succession of that See before John
of Exeter in 1262, when the seals had already begun to
depart from that extreme simplicity of design which is
the characteristic of this seal.
WILLIAM OP EDINGTON, A.D. 1346-1366.
Secretum.
Circular. 1^ in. diam. (Plate III, fig. 19.)
At the Society of Antiquaries.
Under a richly carved double canopy, the figure of
112 SEALS OF THE
St. Catherine standing, holding in her left hand the
wheel ; this figure is to the left. To the right is the
figure of the Bishop kneeling, holding in his hands a
crozier. In base is a shield bearing a cross engrailed,
charged with five cinquefoils.
Legend, —
SECRETUM : WILLELMI : WYNTONIENSIS : EPI :
WILLIAM OF WYKEHAM, A.D. 1367-1404.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3f x 2| in. (Plate III, fig. 20.)
At the College, Winchester.
In a niche within delicate Perpendicular tabernacle-
work, the Bishop, in pontifical vestments, holding crozier
with left hand, his right hand raised in benediction.
Surmounting the architecture, to the Bishop's right hand,
there is a shield charged with the royal arms, namely,
1st and 4th, semee de lis, for France (ancient) ; 2nd and
ord, three lions passant guardant, in pale, for England ;
to the Bishop's left hand is another shield charged with
two chevrons between three cinquefoils, for Wylcehani.
Legend, —
SI : WILLELMI : DE : WIKEHAM : DE I GRACIA : WYNTTON :
EPI '
Counter seal.
Vesica. 2 J x If in. (Plate III, %. 21.)
Gothic tabernacle-work divided into various niches.
In the upper niche a representation of the Holy Trinity,
the Father seated, supporting a cross in front of knees ;
in the centre of seal, under two canopies, to the left, a
figure of St. Peter ; to the right, a figure of St. Paul ; in
base of seal, under a plain arched canopy, a figure of the
Bishop, turned to the left, kneeling in prayer.
Legend, —
WILLEL.MU TRINE CVM I SANCTI[S SVSCIPE FI]NE
The introduction of the royal arms into this Bishop's
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 113
Seal of Dignity, where we might have expected to find
those of the See, is interesting. The significance, no
douht, is that this Prelate was Lord High Chancellor
of England. The royal arms had previously appeared
upon the episcopal seal of Walter Reynolds, Bishop of
Worcester, 1308, who was Lord Chancellor, 1310 ; also
upon the episcopal seal of Richard de Bury, Bishop of
Durham, 133G, and Lord Chancellor, 1334. A successor
of Wykeham as Bishop of Winchester (consecrated in
1447), William Waynfleet, and Lord Chancellor in 1456,
also bore the royal arms upon his episcopal seal.
Another point of interest in the Seal of Dignity is that
for the first time in this series do we find a Bishop
using his surname (de Wikeham) upon his episcopal
seal. On all previous seals the Christian name only of
the Bishop has appeared.
Secret ii m.
Circular. If in. dia. (Plate III, fig. 22.)
At New College, Oxford.
In the centre a compartment divided into two storeys ;
in the upper one, under an ogival arch, is the seated
figure of the Holy Virgin and Child. The lower storey
is subdivided again into two niches, each under a pointed
arch ; to the left is a kneeling figure of the Bishop with
his hands raised in prayer, and to the right a standing
figure of St. Swithin vested as a Bishop, supporting with
his left arm a crozier, his right hand raised in benedic-
tion. Outside the central compartment are two niches,
on either side one; that to the left filled with a standing
figure of St. Peter, that to the right with a standing
figure of St. Paul. In the base of the seal is a shield
charged with the arms of Wickham, the same as in his
Seal of Dignity.
Legend, —
SECRETUM WYLLELMI DE I WYKEHAM EPI WYNTTON
114 SEALS OF THE
Another Secretum.
Circular. If in. dia. (Plate III, fig. 23.)
At New College, Oxford.
Under a rich octagonal canopy, the Holy Virgin and
Child enthroned, her feet resting upon a raised dais.
Upon each side of the throne, under beautifully decorated
octagonal canopies, are full-length standing figures, the
one to the left being that of St. Peter ; the other, to the
right, that of St. Paul. Under the tier upon which these
figures are placed, the space is again divided into three ;
in the centre is an angel with extended wings, support-
ing a shield displaying the arms of Wykeham, the same
as shown on his Seal of Dignity ; on the left, under a
beautifully carved, low-pointed arch, is the kneeling figure
of the Bishop in prayer ; and on the right, under a simi-
lar arch, the figure of St. S within in benediction. The
remainder of the field of the seal is filled with beautiful
tabernacle-work. -
Legend, —
SECRETUM WYLELMI I DE WYKEHAM EPI WYNTTON
The impressions of these two secreta have been kindly
lent me for exhibition here this evening by the Bev. J. E.
Sewell, D.D., Warden of New College, Oxford, who also
sends an impression of Wykeham's seal as Archdeacon of
Lincoln, where the Holy Virgin and Child are again
introduced, and the arms of Wykeham as on all the
above seals. Dr. Sewell further sends another seal of
Wykeham before he was made Bishop, where his arms
are a chevron (not two chevrons) between three roses.
In connection with this famous Prelate I may, perhaps,
be permitted here to mention that in May 1886, when
examining the charters of New College, Oxford, Dr.
Sewell showed to me the remains of Wykeham's mitre,
still preserved in the muniment-room there.
PLATE III
mvsm
SEALS OFTHE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 115
HENRY BEAUFORT, A.D. 1405-1447.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3^ x 2 in. (Plate IV, %. 24.)
At the College, Winchester.
In the centre of the seal are three niches with project-
ing canopies ; in the centre is a figure of St. Peter with
his keys ; the niche to the left is filled with a figure of
St. Paul with his sword, and that to the right with the
figure of St. Swithin vested as a Bishop. Over the cen-
tral canopy are two niches with canopies*; the one to the
left filled with the figure of St. Mary Magdalene with her
pot of ointment, that to the right with the figure of
St. Catherine with her wheel. All the five figures are
full-length. In base, under a round-headed canopy, is
the three-quarter length figure of the Bishop kneeling in
prayer, full face. On each side of this lower niche, upon
masonry, is a shield charged with the arms of Cardinal
Beaufort, namely — Quarterly, 1st and 4th, three fleurs-
de-lis; 2nd and 3rd, three lions passant guardant in pale;
the whole within a border compony.
Legend, —
[SIC :] HENRICI : DEI : GRA I WYNTONIENSIS : EPI.
Sec return.
Circular. 2^ in. dia. (Plate IV, fig. 25.)
At the College, Winchester.
A shield charged with the arms of the Cardinal, as
described in the Seal of Dignity. Ensigning the shield
is a Cardinal's hat with the tassels falling on each side
of the shield. The moulded circular line separating this
device from the band bearing the legend is richly orna-
mented with quatre foils.
Legend, —
►J- SIGILLU ARMOR HENRICI MISERACIONE DIVINA
CARDINALIS ANGLIE EPI WYNTON
116 SEALS OF THE
Another Sec return.
Circular. If in. dia. (Plate III, fig. 26.)
At the College, Winchester.
A shield charged with the Beaufort arms as described
in the Seal of Dignity. The shield is suspended by a
strap passing over the ends of two antlers which nearly
surround the shield. The antlers are entwined with a
thin garland of flowers. A beautiful little spray of leaves
and flowers separates the end from the beginning of the
legend.
Legend, —
S[ECR]ETUM : [HE]NRICI : DEI : G[RATIA :] WYNTONIEN : EPI
WILLIAM WAINFLEET, A.D. 1447-1486.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 8f x 2j in. (Plate IV, fig. 27.)
At the British Museum.
Three canopied niches ; in the centre a full-length
standing figure of St. Peter with halo behind his head,
supporting his keys with his right arm, and holding a
book in his left hand. In the niche to the left is a full-
length standing figure of St. Paul with halo behind his
head, holding a sword erect with his left hand. In the
niche to the right a full-length figure of St. Swithin in
benediction, vested as a Bishop, supporting a crozier with
his left arm. Above the central niche is a seated figure
of the Holy Virgin and Child. Over each of the two
large side-niches, under canopies with short, graceful
pinnacles, are half-length figures of angels bending in
adoration towards the Virgin ; a slender column comes
in front of each angel. Outside the large central niches
are two smaller niches, on either side one ; each divided
in front by a slender column, and covered by a canopy
and pinnacle ; the figure of an angel, facing inwards, is
within each of these two niches. In the base of the seal
BISHOPS OP WINCHESTER. 117
under a rounded, flat arch, is the Bishop, full face, his
hands folded in prayer, wearing mitre, and supporting
crozier with right arm, having in front of his lower
extremities a shield charged with the arms of Wainfieet,
namely, fusilly, on a chief three lilies slipped. Outside
the arch, to the left, is a shield charged with the royal
arms of France (modern) and England quarterly ; to the
left is a shield charged with the arms of the See, namely —
The sword of St. Paul saltirewise, with one key of St.
Peter, whose tiara appears in chief.
Legend, —
SIGILLUM :WILLELMI : DEI : GRA : I WYNTONIENSIS :
EPISCOPI '
This beautiful seal is known only hy this impression,
which unfortunately is much broken at the top. The
date of its engraving is uncertain. From the fact of its
hearing the royal arms it is probable that it was engraved
or altered after the Bishop had been appointed Lord
Chancellor in 1456. The arms of the See are here met
with upon this series of seals for the first time, and are
of a different form to that subsequently adopted.
PETER COURTNAY, A.D. 1486-1493.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3j x 2^ in. (Plate IV, fig. 28.)
At the College, Winchester.
Within a niche, under an arched canopy, is a seated
figure of the Holy Virgin and Child. To the left, in a
smaller niche, under a canopy, is a standing figure of St.
Peter holding the keys over his right shoulder; to the
right, in a similar niche, is a standing figure of St. Paul sup-
porting a sword, point downwards. Above the central
niche is a smaller one with a representation of the Blessed
Trinity, a seated figure of the Father supporting a cross.
In the base of the seal, under a rich canopy, is a kneeling
figure of the Bishop in prayer. To the left is a shield
charged with two keys in sal tire, with wards upwards,
endorsed, surmounting a sword erect in pale, for the See of
1895 9
I L8 SEALS OF THE
Winchester. To the right is another shield charged with
three torteaux and a label of three points, for Courtnay.
Legend, —
SIGILLU PETRI COUR[T]NAY EPISCOPI WINTON
This is the second seal in this series in which the arms
of the diocese are met with. They differ from those dis-
played upon the seal of Bishop Wainfieet. They here
appear precisely the same as those of the See of Exeter.
The tinctures, of course, might have been different ; but
the possibility of confusion manifestly existed, which, no
doubt, accounts for the further change in the arms which
occurred later.
STEPHEN GARDINER, A.D. 1531-1556.
Seal of Dignity.
Oval. 3| x 2£ in. (Plate IV, fig. 29.)
At Pembroke College, Oxford.
Renaissance tabernacle-work divided into three panels ;
in each panel is a full-length standing figure with a halo
behind its head ; the one to the left, holding in the right
hand two keys across the left shoulder, is that of St. Peter;
the one in the centre, a Bishop in benediction, in pontifical
vestments, is that of St. Swithin ; the one to the right,
holding in the right hand a book, and with the left hand
supporting a sword, point downwards, is that of St. Paul.
In an upper panel is a seated figure representing the Holy
Trinity, the Father supporting a cross. In the base of the
seal is a shield surrounded by an inscribed garter, and
ensigned with a mitre ; the shield bears impaled arms,
namely, dexter, two keys in bend sinister, surmounting a
sword in bend dexter, for the See of Winchester; sinister,
on a cross between four griffins' heads erased, a cinquefoil
pierced, for Gardiner.
Legend, on a ribbon twining round the greater part of
the seal, —
S. STEPHANI PERMISSIONE DIVINA WINTON EPI
The arms of the See are somewhat indistinct, but
appear to be in the form which has since been followed
PLATE IV
SEALS OFTHE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 1 1 *J
for many centuries. For the first time the arms are
encircled with an inscribed garter.
The appearance of the garter, reappearing, as it does,
on almost all the subsequent seals of this series, reminds
us that a Bishop of Winchester, William of Edyngton,
was in the year 1345 appointed the first Prelate of the
Most Noble Order of the Garter, and that from the
foundation of this Order of Knighthood to the present
time (with the exception of a few months in the year
15 53), the office has always been held by the Bishop of
Winchester. The change in the form in the legend,
permissione divina, is also worthy of note.
The next two seals are of post-Reformation design,
and the subjects for them are both taken from incidents
recorded in the Old Testament.
JOHN WHITE, A.D. 1556-1560.
Seal of Dignity (fragment only).
Vesica probably, 3x2 in. (Plate V, fig. 30.)
At the Society of Antiquaries.
The upper half of this seal represents the patriarch
Israel seated on a throne, robed in a garment coming
down to his ankles, with his arms crossed in front of his
body, "guiding his hands wittingly", in benediction, over
the heads of two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh, who, with
folded hands and bowed heads, are kneeling, one on each
side of the throne. The boys wear ruffs, girdles, puffed
sleeves, puffed pantaloons, and tight hose. Behind the
figure bowing under the left hand of the patriarch is the
name ephraim : the engraver thus putting the younger
brother where he obtains the left-handed blessing, instead
of the first-born, over whom it was actually pronounced.
The field of the lower half of the seal is diapered, and
upon it is a shield charged with impaled arms, namely,
dexter} two ke}Ts endorsed with wards upwards, conjoined
at the bows, in bend sinister ; surmounted with a sword,
point upwards, in bend dexter, for the See of Winches-
ter ; sinister, three roses slipped, for White. Encompass-
ing the shield is an inscribed garter ensigned with a
mitre with long labels.
92
120 SEALS OF THE
ROBERT HORNE, A.D. 1560-1579.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. :U x 2\ in. (Plate V, fig. 31.)
At the College, Winchester.
This seal represents the whale casting out Jonah upon
the dry land. The whale occupies a large space upon the
seal, and is partially covered with water. Above the sea
are clouds, amid which appears the date 156 0. To the
left of the seal, around the side of the sea, is land with
buildings erected thereon. The prophet is just emerging
from between the jaws of the whale, and has his arms
folded in front of his body. In the base of the seal is an
elaborate scroll-shield displaying the arms of the See of
Winchester impaled with those of Home, namely — Three
bugle-horns stringed.
Legend, —
SIGILLUM R
What the exact significance of this design may have
been I am at a loss to state. Amongst other suggestions
the following presents itself. Perhaps this was a case of
Nolo episcopari, Robert Home having been unwilling to
assume or enter upon the duties of the episcopal office
until during the cloudy year of 1560 he found himself
cast upon the diocese of Winchester.
THOMAS BILLSON, A.D. 1596-1616.
Seal of Dignity.
Probably vesica. 3x2 in. (Plate V, fig. 32.)
At the British Museum.
The remains of the impression of this seal are so slight
that it seems an almost useless task to attempt to
describe them. From what is left, there appears to be a
full-length figure of St. Andrew holding a saltire cross
under a canopy, supported on both sides by two columns.
A beaded line separates the device from the legend.
Below the Saint is possibly a coat of arms with the point
of the sword of St. Paul in bend dexter.
A gradual deterioration in the seals, both in respect of
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 1*21
beauty of design and of execution, had set in in the
fifteenth century. This deterioration had subsequently
gone on increasing rapidly. With the Reformation a
marked change in character of subjects displayed on the
semis had been introduced, as we have seen in the seals
of Bishops White and Home. In the seventeenth cen-
tury, however, an entirely new type of seal appeared.
There were reasons why the mediaeval type should
have passed away, and why a new type should have
been brought in. Beautiful as the tabernacle-work on
the seals had been, and unobjectionable as the charac-
ter of the designs had seemed at the time when the
seals had been engraved, a great change in the atti-
tude of thought had since taken place in the minds
of the people throughout the country. The Puritan
spirit was felt by many within the Church itself, and
attempted representations of the Deity were by some
regarded as a flagrant breach of the Second Command-
ment, and figures of the Virgin and Apostles on a seal
were looked upon as a mute appeal for the invocation of
the Saints. Besides these religious objections, there were
considerations of another character to be thought of too.
After all, a seal was affixed to a document, not as an
artistic adornment, but to enable those who had to deal
with the document to know that the document itself was
a genuine instrument properly authenticated. For the
purpose of recognising this, the seal needed to bear marks
easy of recognition. Now the seals tilled with tabernacle
work, beautiful as they were, bore scarcely anything
distinctive or peculiar to any one diocese upon them.
The Saints which filled the niches were often the Saints
to whom the Cathedral Church of the See was dedicated.
We must remember, however, that one Saint differs from
another Saint in sigilliary portraiture merely by the
emblem that he bears. These emblems, in many cases,
were the leading features in the coats of arms which,
during the fourteenth century, Bishops had begun to
place upon their Episcopal Seals. Thus, in the series
before us, we have noticed seals with the Apostles Peter
and Paul standing upon them, and marked by their
emblems, and the same emblems displayed upon shields
122 SEALS OF THE
in the same seals. But, although doubly marked, the
emblems in each case were very small; so small, in
fact, that they required careful search to discover ; and
even when found they were so small that in the rough-
and-ready way in which impressions were commonly
taken, the emblems were not legible, or, at the best,
were difficult of discernment. For practical purposes,
seals were required so marked that there should be
no difficulty in seeing at a glance, on all impressions
taken in the ordinary way, and after being subjected
to ordinary usage, the Diocese of the Bishop whose seal
it was ; and that the paternal arms of each Bishop
should be so distinctly shown that there should be
no difficulty in recognising which Bishop of the par-
ticular See it was whose seal was before one. Thus
was brought in the new type of Episcopal Seal, the
modern, or heraldic, or, if one chooses so to term it, the
utilitarian. In this appears a shield displaying the arms
of the See impaled with the paternal arms of the indi-
vidual Bishop ; the shield being ensigned with a mitre,
and the whole device surrounded by a band bearing a
legend stating the name, etc., of the Bishop. In the
seals for Winchester, the shield is surrounded by an in-
scribed garter, the Bishop being, as before stated, the
Prelate of that Most Noble Order.
PETER MEWS, A.D. 1684-1706.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3| x 2| in. (Plate V, fig. 33.)
At the British Museum.
A scroll-shield with acanthus leaves on each side, en-
signed with two cherubs, the backs of their heads
nearly touching, with one wing following the outline of
the shield, and the other wing elevated. The shield
bears the arms of the See of Winchester, impaling those
of Mews, namely, Paly of six, on a chief three crosses
crosslet. The shield, etc., is encompassed by an inscribed
garter in oval form, ensigned with a mitre.
Legend, —
SIGILLVM ON . EPIS....
PLATE V.
SEALS OFTHE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 123
CHARLES RICHARD SUMNER, A.D. 1827-1869.
Seal of Dignify.
Vesica. 3| x 2| in. (Plate VI, fig. 34.)
A circular shield charged with impaled arms, namely,
dexter, Gu. a sword in bend sinister, surmounted by two
keys endorsed and conjoined at the bows in bend dexter,
for the See of Winchester ; sinister, Ermine, two chevrons,
gu., for Sumner. The shield is surrounded by an inscribed
garter, which is ensigned with a mitre.
Legend, —
THE . SEAL OF CHARLES RICH1? SUMNER . | D.D.
BISHOP OF . WINCHESTER . 1827
The charges in the arms of the See are misplaced.
There are many seals in this series of which I am un
able to show an impression ; but of those that I exhibit
to-night this is the first (l)in which the tinctures on the
arms are marked, (2) in which the legend is in English,
(3) in which the University degree of the Bishop is indi-
cated, and (4) in which the date of the Bishop's succession
to the See is stated.
Similar changes had by this time been made in nearly
all the episcopal seals in use in England. The earliest
examples of these changes, which have come under my
notice, are the following, — (l) tinctures marked, the seal
of Edward Willes, Bishop of St. David's, 1743 (that is to
say, rather more than a century after the first introduc-
tion of this mode of marking in heraldry generally); (2)
legend in English, the seal of Edmund Gibson, Bishop of
London, 1723; (3) University degree indicated r, the seal
of Robert Lowth, Bishop of St. David's, 1766. There
may be earlier instances of these changes which so far
have not come under my notice ; but the changes once
made, were speedily followed until they shortly became
the general custom.
SAMUEL WILBERFORCE, A.D. 1869-1873.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3x2 in. (Plate VI, fig. 35.)
At the Author's Studio.
A shield bearing the arms of the See of Winchester as
1 24 SEALS OF THE
iii the seal of Bishop White (1556-1560), but with the
field tinctured, gu., impaling the amis of Wilberforce,
namely — Ar., an eagle displayed, and in dexter chief, a
mullet for difference. The shield partly surmounts an
inscribed garter, which is ensigned with a mitre.
Legend, between an outer border of quatrefoils and an
inner beaded line, —
►£. THE . SEAL . OF . SAMUEL . WILBERFORCE . I D.I).
15ISHOP . OF . WINCHESTER . 1869
EDWARD HAROLD BROWNE, A.D. 1873-1891.
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3x2 in. (Plate VI, fig. 36.)
At the Author's Studio.
A shield bearing the arms of the See of Winchester (as
last described) impaling those of Browne, namely —
Sa., three lions passant in bend between two double
cottises. The shield partly overlays an inscribed garter,
which surmounts two crosiers in saltire. Ensigning this
device is a mitre, with very long labels. The design is
surrounded by fourteen cusps and twelve cinquefoils.
Legend between an outer border of quatrefoils and an
inner plain line.
►fr THE . SEAL . OF . EDWARD . HAROLD . BROWNE . I D.D.
BISHOP . OF . WINCHESTER . 1873
ANTHONY WILSON THOROLD, A.D. 1891.
(The present Bishop.)
Seal of Dignity.
Vesica. 3£ x 2h in. (Plate VI, fig. 37.)
At the Author's Studio.
Upon a diapered ground, a shield displaying the arms
of the See of Winchester (as last described) impaling
those of Thorold, namely — Sa., three goats, salient. The
shield partly surmounts an inscribed garter, which is
ensigned with a mitre. From beneath the garter hangs
a ribbon suspending the badge of the Prelate of the
I'LA'I K VI
SEALS OFTHE BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER
BISHOPS OF WINCHESTER. 125
Most Noble Order of the Garter. The field is enclosed
by a series of* twenty-two cusps, eleven on each side.
Legend between an inner and outer rope border.
►£< THE . SEAL . OF . ANTHONY . WILSON . THOROLD . I D:D:
BISHOP . OF . WINCHESTER . A.I). 1891
In glancing once again over the seals just described,
we see that each of the three types or styles has prevailed
for about two hundred and fifty years. Let us hope that
a new style may now be developed, even if it be by a
fresh adaptation of some features of the past types. The
decision, of course, really lies with the bishops of the
future. If they, upon their appointments, were willing,
designs of artistic beauty, combining the simplicity of
the early type of seal with certain obvious advantages of
the modern type, might be arranged which, whilst leaving
these important and interesting seals as easy of recog-
nition as they at present are, would make them sources
of pleasure to all who see them, and to all who in the
future will have occasion to examine or refer to them.
Personally, I cannot see why on modern seals Bishops
should not be portrayed in the vestments or habits in
which they usually appear now-a-days when discharging
their lofty functions. In many of our cathedrals, monu-
ments have already been erected bearing effio-ies of
Bishops, who have died within the last few years, so
clothed. Most of these monuments are certainly not
lacking in artistic beauty or in dignity of appearance, and
I cannot see why there should be any insurmountable
difficulty in securing both these most desirable features
when portraying a Bishop so vested or habited upon an
Episcopal Seal. I may, perhaps, be permitted to state
that already I have had the honour of designing and
engraving Episcopal Seals in which the Archbishop or
Bishop appears either in cope or chasuble, and that such
seals are now actually in use in various dioceses in the
Provinces of Canterbury, York, New Zealand, South
Africa, the West Indies, and Canada.
,@g^
ON THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,
A RELIC
PRESERVED IN THE CHURCH OF ST. GREGORY,
SUDBURY, SUFFOLK.
BY W. SPARROW SIMPSON, D.D., F.S.A., SUB-DEAN
OF ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.
{Bead 6th Feb. 1895.)
HE episode which forms the subject ot
the present paper belongs to the stormy
days of Richard II. He succeeded his
grandfather at a very early age. Born on
April 3, 1366, the death of Edward III,
on June 21, 1377, placed him on the
throne. He was but a youth of fifteen
in June 1381, when he encountered Wat Tyler, with his
thirty thousand followers, in Smithfield, and certainly,
on that occasion, exhibited remarkable courage and
gallantry. But the times were very evil. The violence
of the nobles and the weakness of the throne, disastrous
wars abroad and anarchy at home, had prepared the
way for tumults, and, indeed, for civil war.
Mr. J. R. Green gives a summary of the stirring
events of the insurrection.1 The discontent, he says, was
simply political. The people "demanded the suppres-
sion of the poll-tax and better government. Their aim
was to slay the nobles and wealthier clergy, to take the
King into their own hands, and pass laws which should
seem good to the commons of the land." They had a
special grudge against the Archbishop of Canterbury for
that he had discouraged pilgrimages ; and they plundered
his palace in the cathedral city without serious opposition.
1 History of the English People, i, 471-479.
THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY. 127
Each success swelled their numbers, and, in due time,
they besieged the Tower of London itself, in which the
King and the Archbishop were all but prisoners.
So far back as 1370, the Prelate, then Bishop of
London,1 had acted with great courage, but in a most
unpopular manner. It was the vigil of the feast of
St. Thomas of Canterbury, and Bishop Sudbury en-
countered a caravan of pilgrims on their way to the
famous shrine. They asked his benediction. He gave
them a severe lecture. They were seeking, he said, the
plenary indulgences granted at the martyr's shrine.
Such indulgences were valueless without true repentance,
and for this, he was convinced, they were wholly un-
prepared. A pleasant holiday was not, necessarily, a
religious exercise. The pilgrims were enraged at this
wise counsel. The glorious martyr, St. Thomas, was
insulted. One of their number, bolder than the rest,
utters a prophecy, only too true, " At peril of my life I
foretell that thou shalt end thy days by a death of
ignominy." To which the people shouted, " Amen,
amen."2 His doctrine was sound and true, but perhaps
it was not very politic to select such an occasion for its
expression. Wiclif, then chaplain to the King, was in
high favour, and the Bishop seems to have shared some
of his opinions.
This is not the place for a summary of the historical
events of the reign, nor for a review of the changes,
religious or political, which were impending. Atten-
tion must be concentrated on the closing hours of
Archbishop Sudbury. The rioters accused him, as Lord
Chancellor, of prodigal expenditure of the public money.
If his accounts should be unsatisfactory, " they openly
declared that they would be satisfied with nothing less
than the Archbishop's life. It is said that there were
sixty thousand men massed together, infuriated with
drink, wild with plunder. The garrison of the Tower
1 A bill of the expenses of repairing, correcting, and binding a
Missal given to St. Paul's Cathedral by Cymon cle Sudbury, late Bishop
of London, is preserved in the Record Room of the Cathedral. (Press
A., Box 73, No. 1883.)
2 Hook's Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury, iv, 250, 251.
ll'S THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
was weak, and some amongst them were in league with
the insurgents."1
The story of the events which followed may best be
told in the exact words of some old chronicler. Stow
shall describe for us the excesses of the rebels : —
The same Thursday2 the said Commons went to Saint Martins-
le-Graiid in London, and tooke from the high Altar in that Church
one Roger Legat, chiefe sisar (or questmonger), led him into
Cheape, and cut off his head; at that time also they beheaded
18 in divers places of the City. During which time, divers of the
Commons went unto the Tower, there to have spoken with the
King, but could not be heard, wherefore they besieged the Towei
on that side towards Saint Catherins. The other Commons that
were in the Citty went to the Hospitall of Saint John, and by the
way burnt the house of Eoger Legat lately beheaded ; they burnt
al the houses belonging to Saint Johns, and then burnt the fay re
l'ryory of the Hospitall of Saint John, causing the same to burn
the space of seven dayes after. At what time, the King, being in a
Turret of the Tower, and seeing the Mannors of Sauoy, the Pryory
of Saint Johns Hospitall, and other houses on lire, bee demanded
of his Councell what was best to doe in that extremity, but none
of them could counsaile in that case. The King there in a Tower,
toward Saint Catherines, made Proclamation, that all people should
depart to their homes peaceably, and hee would pardon them all
their trespasses : but they with one voyce cryed, they would not
go before they had the tryayors3 within the Tower, and'Charters to
free them from all service, and other matters which they would
demand : this the King granted, and caused a Clerke to write in
their presence as followeth :
Stow- gives the text of the charter, and proceeds, —
Whereunto hee set his signet in their presence, and sent it vnto
them by two Knights, one of them standing vp in a chayre above
the rest, that euery one might heare. During which time the
King remained in the Towre, to his greate griefe, for when the
Commons heard the writings, they said it was but a mockery, and
therefore returned to London, proclaiming thorow the Citty, that all
the men of Law, all they of the Chauncery, and of the Exchecpuer,
and all that could make any Writ or Letter, should be beheaded,
wheresoever they might bee found.4 The whole number of the
1 I look's Lives oj the Archbishops of Canterbury, iv, 305-30G.
- Stow, Annates, or a Central/ Chronicle of England, pp. 28G-287,
continued by Edmund Howes. 4to., London, 1631.
3 " tryayors". Probably traitors is the word intended.
Compare Jack Cade in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Second Part. " It
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 129
common people, were at that time divided into three parts, of the
which one part was attending to destroy the Mannor of Highbery,
and other places belonging to the Priory of S. John : An other
company lay at the Miles end, East of the City : the third kept at
the Tower-hill, there to spoyl the King of such victualls as were
brought towards him. The company assembled on the Miles end,
sent to command the King, that hee should come to them without
delay vnarmed, or without any force, which if hee refused to doe,
they would surely pull downe the Tower, neyther should he escape
aliue; who taking counsel] of a few, by 7 of the Clocke, the King-
rode to the Miles end, with his mother, in a whirlicote1 (or chariot
as we now terme it), and the Earles of Buckingham, Kent, Warwick,
and Oxford, S. Thomas Percy, S. Kobert Knowles, and the Maior
of London, with diners other knights and esquires. Sir Aubery
de Vere bare the King's sword. Thus with a few vnarmed, the
King went towards the rebells, in great feare ; and so the gates of
the Tower being set open, a great multitude of them entred the
same. There was the same time in the Tower, 600 warlikemen
furnished with armor and weapon, expert men in arms, and 600
Archers, all which did quaile in stomacke. For the basest of the
rustickes, not many together, but euery one by himselfe durst
presume to enter the Kings chamber, or his mothers, with their
weapons, to put in feare, each of the men of warre, Knights or
other : many of them came into the Kings priuy chamber, and
played the wantons, in sitting, lying, and sporting them on the
Kings bed : and that more is, invited the Kings mother to kisse
with them, yet durst none of those men of warre (strange to be
said) once withstand them : they came in and out like Masters,
that in times past were slaves of most vile condition.
Whilest therefore, these rustickes sought the Archbishop with
terrible noyse and fury, running vp and downe. at length, finding
one of his seruants, they charge him to bring them where his
Master was — whome they named traytor — which seruant, daring
doe none other, brought them to the Chappell ; where, after
Masse had beene sayd, and hailing receiued the communion, the
Archbishoppe was busie in his prayers, for not vnknowing of their
comming and purpose, hee had passed the last night in confessing of
his sinnes and in deuout prayers. When therefore hee heard they
were come, with great constancy, hee said to his men, " let vs now
will be proved to thy face that thou hast men about thee that usually
talk of a noun and a verb, and such abominable words as no Christian
ear can endure to hear." He is speaking to Lord Say, Lord Treasurer
of England.
1 "Whirlicote", an open car or chariot. "Of old time coatches were
not known in this island, but chariots or whirlicotes, and they only
used of princes or great estates, such as had their footmen about them."
(Stow's London, 1599, p. 65, quoted by Nares.)
130 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
goe, surely it is best to dye when it is no pleasure to liue ; " and
with that the tormentors entring, cried, ""Where is the traitor?"
The Archbishop answered, " Behold, I am the Archbishop whom
you seeke, not a traitor." They therefore layd hands on him and
drew him out of the Chappell, they drew him out of the Tower
gates, to the Tower-hil, where, being compassed about with many
thousands, and seeing swords about his head drawne in excessiue
number, threatning to him death, hee said vnto them thus :
•What is it, deare brethren, you purpose to doe; what is mine
offence committed against you, for which yee will kill mee ? You
were best to take heede, that if I be killed, who am your Pastor,
there come not on you the indignation of the iust reuenger ;
or at the least, for such a fact all England bee put vnder interdic-
tion." Hee could vnneath1 pronounce these words, before they
cryed out with an horrible noyse, that they neither feared the
interdiction nor the Pope to be aboue them. The Archbishop
seeing death at hand, spake with comfortable words, as hee was an
eloquent man, and wise beyond all wise men of the Itealme ;
Lastly, after forgiuenesse granted to the executioner that should
behead him, hee kneeling down, offered his necke, to him that
should strike it off, being stricken in the necke, but not deadly,
hee putting his hand to his necke said thus, " Aha ! it is the hand
of God." Hee had not removed his hand from the place where
the paine was, but that beeinge suddenly stricken, his fingers ends
being cut off, and part of the arteries, hee fell downe, but yet he
dyed not, till being mangled with 8 strokes in the necke and in
the head, hee fulfilled most worthy martyrdome. There lay his
body vnburied all that Friday, and the morrow till afternoone
none daring to deliuer his body to the sepulture, his head these
wicked tooke, and nayling thereon his hoode, they fixe it on a
pole, and set it on London Bridge in place where before stood the
head of Sir John Minsterworth.
This Archbishoppe, Simon Tibald alias Sudbury, Sonne to
Nicholas Tibald, gentleman, borne in the Towne of Sudbury, in
Suffolke, Doctor of both Lawes, was 18 yeeres Bishop of London,
in which time, hee builded a goodly College in place where his
father's house stood, and endued it with great possessions, and
furnished the same with secular Clerkes and other Ministers,
valued at the suppression 122. pound. 18. shillings in lands by
yeere. Hee builded the vpper end of S. Gregories Church at
Sudbury. After being translated to the Archbishopricke of
Canterbury in An. loTo, he re-edified the walls of that Citty, from
the West-gate (which hee builded) to the North-gate, which had
been destroyed by the Danes before the conquest of William the
bastard. Hee was slain as yee haue heard, and afterwards buried
in the Cathedrall Church of Canterbury. There dyed with him
1 " unneath"; that is, scarcely.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 13l
Sir Robert Hales, a most valiant Knight, Lord of S. Johns, and
treasurer of England, and John Legge, one of the Kinnges
serieants at amies, and a Franciscan Frier, named, William Aple-
dore the Kings Confessor.
So far, Stow has been our guide, and has given a
picturesque account of the circumstances connected
with the murder of the Archbishop. Another English
chronicler, Raphaell Holinshed, though his narrative is
not so extended as that of Stow, adds a few signi-
ficant details. He tells very briefly the story of the
martyrdom : —
"The third companie kept vpon the tower-hill, and would not
suffer anie vittels to be conuied into the tower, where the King
at that time was lodged, and was put in such feare by those rude
people, that he suffered them to enter into the tower, where they
sought so narowlie for the lord chancelor, that rinding him in the
chappell, they drew him foorth togither with the lord treasurer,
and on the tower hill, without reuerence of their estates and
degrees, with great noise and fell cries, they stroke off' their
heads."
Holinshed details many other acts of violence and
deeds of sacrilege, and gives a much clearer account of
the evil behaviour of the rabble to the King's mother
than that which Stow supplies : —
" They that entered the tower, vsed themselues most pre-
sumptuouslie, and no lesse vnreuerentlie against the princesse of
Wales, mother to the King ; for thrusting into hir chamber, they
offered to kisse hir, and swasht downe vpon hir bed, putting hir
into such feare, that she fell into a swoone, and being taken vp
and recouered, was had to the water side, and put into a barge, and
conueied to the place called the crueenes wardrobe, or the tower
riall, where she remained all that day and the night following, as
a woman halfe dead, till the King came to recomfort hir. It was
strange to consider, in what feare the lords, knights and gentlemen
stood of the cruell proceedings of those rude and base people. F"or
where there were six hundred armed men, and as manie archers in
the tower at that present, there was not one that durst gainesaie
their dooinges."1
In Thomas Walsingham's Y'podigma Neustrice2 there is
a very brief notice of the death of the Archbishop.
1 Holinshed's Chronicle, the edition of 1585.
2 Master of the Rolls Edition, p. 335.
132 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
After mentioning the fact of the rebellion of the rustics
ami common men, he adds : —
" inter quos, magistrum Simouem de Sudbyria, metropolitanum
totius Anglife, regnique Cancellarium, et Dominum Robertum
Hales, qui i'uit Trior Sancti Johannis et regni ThesauTarius,
extractos de Turri Londoniarum, crudelite* decollarunt, sub duce
quodam Waltero Tylere, superbo prorsus, et ignobili, ganeone."1
He refers ad nostra majora chronica for further par-
ticulars of this rustic tragedy, as he styles it ; and
certainly his Historia Anglicana is well worthy of the
student's attention. For Walsingham's account2 of the
martyrdom is rich in details. Before his death the
Archbishop, seeing that the end was inevitable, spake
many salutary words, " ut erat vir eloquentisimus, et
incomparabiliter ultra omnes regni sapientes sapiens."
He pardons his executioner, who seems to have been a
very clumsy fellow, for not until the eighth stroke,
" miserabiliter mutilatus in collo et in capite, dignum, ut
credimus, martyrium complevisset." The body lay un-
buried, " toto illo die veneris in cpuo fuit festum sancti
Basilii," and also on the morrow. The headsman was
visited with insanity and blindness. A man from the
crowd, impelled by avarice, in the night after the martyr-
dom, secretly approached the body and stole the episcopal
ring.
Miracles are said to have been wrought by access to
his tomb. A man, many years blind, having at the
death of the Archbishop prayed fervently for recovery of
sight, the petition was granted. Another blind man,
of Dover, who had been blind two years, visited the
tomb and regained his vision : —
"Mulier quaedain, quse impreguata fuerat et parere nullo modo
poterat, postulate ejus auxilio, eodem die deliberata est de tribuf
masculis puerulis, qui omnes baptizati sunt."
And there were many other wonders, amongst which
the executions of the ringleaders of the mob must be
'»'
1 " Ganeo", a fellow of ill repute.
Thomas Walsingham, Historia Anglicana (Master of the Rolls
Series), vol. i, 461.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 133
mentioned, as undoubted instances of divine vengeance.
Walsingham specifies particularly Johannes Starling de
Estsexia, who gloried in having been the executioner of
the Archbishop : —
Iste, mox post illud perpetratum facinus, arreptus a diabolo,
insanire coepit, et, domum veniens, nudum gladium ;i collo suo
suspendit ante pectus suuni, et cultellum, quern daggere dicimus,
etiain evaginatum, suspendit ad terguni; et ita vesanus circuibat
per plateas et vicos, clamans et protestans se cum eis Archi-
episcopum occidisse."1
He then came to London to receive, as he said, his
reward ; which, indeed, says the chronicler, he did
receive, in that he was beheaded.
Another early notice of these events should here be
introduced, from the chronicles of William Thorne, a
monk of St. Augustine's, Canterbury2 : —
Populus in furorein versus in die festo Corporis Christi cursu
rapido Londoniam peciit, ubi totuni ilium diem cum nocte sequenti
inquietus populus et impetuosus in pulcherrimis aedificiis des-
truendis, in effusione humani sanguinis jugiter intentus, facto
mane turrim Londoniensem ingreditur, et Archiepiscopum Gantu-
ariensem cum Magistro Hospitalis sancti Johannis qui illis diebus
Cancellarite et Thesaurarne regni oftlciis fungebantur inde extra-
liens XIV die mensis Junii eodem die apud totjkhel3 capitibus
privavit : et caput Archiepiscopi impositum stipite super pontem
Londoniensem fecit affigi Post haec monachi corpus sui
prsesulis tollentes condigno honore in sua ecclesia sepelierunt.
In the volumes of Political Poems and Songs relating
to English History, edited by Mr. Thomas Wright, in the
Master of the Rolls series, is a noteworthy Latin poem
upon the murder of the Archbishop. " The writer
laments the confusion into which the kingdom had been
thrown, in which the nobles had entirely lost their
spirit and courage, while the mob ruled and ordered
everything at its will. The world, in fact, was turned
upside down, for the nobles had sunk into servility, and
the serfs had become lords ; the judge was condemned,
1 Walsingham, Historic, Anglicana, ii, 15.
2 De rebus gestis Abbatum Sancti Augustini Cantuario', printed in
Roger Twysden's Histories Anglicance Scriptores decern, column 2157.
3 That is, of course, Tower Hill.
10
134 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
and the criminal occupied his seat. England having
fallen under the Pope's anathema for her outrage upon
the Church, had lost all her good name. The young and
feeble King was not yet feared by the populace, and
hence the lower orders rose, went about furiously,
slaughtering people, throwing down houses, plundering
and burning. They dragged the Archbishop out of the
T< -wer, cut off his head, and stuck it up on London Bridge ;
but it was taken down by Sir John Walworth (the Lord
Mayor) and reverently wrapped up in a pall. Next day
the populace behaved so threateningly towards the
King that they extorted from him letters of pardon ;
nevertheless, their leader would have run the King
through with his sword had not Walworth struck off his
head, which was raised upon London Bridge in place of
that of the Archbishop. The fate of the latter is lamented
in great bitterness, and the writer exults over the various
degrees of providential vengeance which fell upon his
murderers."1
This is an admirable summary of the poem, in the
Editor's own words, which will be better understood by
perusal of the following extracts from the original :2 —
Versus de tempore Joliannis Straw.
iEtatis tenerse quia tunc erat ipse hierarcha,
Mactatur temere sine judicio patriarcha ;
Ecclesia? princeps, patronus, et archithronatus,
Est decollatus, restat vindicta deinceps.
Votis scurrarum caput arripitur patriarchs,
Non procul ex arce quse fertur Lundoniarum.
Tnsuper a lixis caput est in ponte levatum,
Atque capellatum3 clavis in vertice fixis.
Walword tunc miles caput abstulit hide patenter,
In pallas habiles involvit idem reverenter.
Sic moritur Symon de bacca dictus et austri,
Ecclesire plaustri rota, dux, auriga, vel ymon.
Rector erat Regis et Cancellarius iste.
0 f acinus triste ! perit hie sine judice legis.
1 Introduction, pp. Iviii, lix.
2 Text of the poem, vol. i, pp. 227-230.
3 "Capellatum"; cf. arbor capillata, a tree on which the Vestal Vir-
gins suspended their shorn hair.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 135
Festo Basilii sexta rutilante diei,
Post ictus gladii Symon datus est requiei.
Gleba fuit capiti de nocte reddita tandem,
Pectora contriti civcs comitantur eandeni,
Versus metropolim, Cantuaria quae vocitatur,
Bustum portatur, quo prsesul prrefuit olim.
Post tempus multum Dorobernia1 corpus liumavit,
Atque decoravit catliedrali sede sepultum.
The reader may well be spared the threatenings of
Divine judgment which the poet showers down in great
abundance upon the perpetrators of this cruel murder :
but the verses into which the writer endeavours to com-
press within the limits of a couple of hexameters the
queer, grotesque names of the leaders of the insurrec-
tion, are far too curious to be omitted here : —
Jak Chep, Tronche, Jon Wrau, Thorn Myllere, Tyler,
•Jak Strawe,
Erie of the Plo, Eak to Deer, et Hob Carter,
Kak-strawe ;
Isti ductores in plebe mere priores,
Per quos mcerores creverunt atque dolores.
Istorum capita collistrigiis modo vernant,
Ut populi cernant ne cupiant vetita.
Weever2 quotes from Gower's Vox Clamant is (chapter
xi) a still quainter specimen of Latinity, in which the
author presses the names of the peasants prominent in
the insurrection into some sort of metrical arrangement :
Watte vocat, cui Thome venit, neque Symmc retardat
Bctk que Gibbc simul Tlykke venire jubent.
Colle furit, quem Gibbe juvat nocumenta parantes,
Cum quibus ad dampnum Wille coire vovet.
Grigge rapit, dum Dawe strepit, comes est quibus Hobbe
Lorkin et in medio non minor esse putat.
Huddc ferit quos Juddc terit, dum Tebbe juvatur
Jakkc domos que viros vellit, et ense necat,
Hoggc suam pompam vibrat, dum se putat omni
Maiorem rege nobilitate fore.
Balk propheta docet quem spiritus ante malignus
Edocuitque sua tunc fuit alta schola.
It is almost impossible to resist the conclusion that
1 " Dorobernia"; that is, Canterbury.
2Wj ever, Funeral Monuments, edition of 1767, p. 482.
10 a
136 TSE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
these verses were the work of an eye-witness, or, at the
very least, of a writer who derived his information from
the lips of one who was present at the scene of the
martyrdom. The details are singularly fresh and vivid
— the head is placed on London Bridge by the camp-
followers, a lixis ; it is fixed with nails, clavis in vertice
fhris; it is taken down by the Lord Mayor, and by him
reverently folded in a comely pall ; the actual date of the
martyrdom, Festo Basil ii sexta rutilante diei,1 with that
epithet rutilante,- which here may picturesquely be
rendered blood-red ; the conveyance of the body to
Canterbury, the burial, the erection of a monument in
the Cathedral. All these vivid touches are clear marks
of contemporary work.
The poet's etymology is not his strong point, for it is
to be feared that scholars of to-day would not be willing
to derive the word Sudbury de bacca et austri. Credit
must be given to him for his ingenuity, if the reader will
not grant his assent to the conclusion.
The same volume of Political Songs contains another
composition in alternate lines of English and Latin, from
which it may suffice to take a single verse, that, namely,
which relates to the death of the Prelate : —
Laddus loude thay ]c>3e,
clamantes voce sonora,
The bisschop wen thay slc^e
et corpora plura decora ;
Maners down thay drowse,
in regno non meliora ;
Harme thay dud inc^e,
Itabuerunt libera lora?
Le Neve says that the Archbishop's will was proved
die Sancti Basil ii 1381. But this seems scarcely possible.
He has just said that the Prelate " was beheaded by the
rebels 14th June 1381, and, after the rebellion was
1 In the Sarum Breviary the Feast of St. Basil is June 14, which
fell this year upon a Friday.
2 " Butilans" is a usual epithet of Aurora. In the Vulgate of St.
Matthew, xvi, 3, it is used with " cceluni": " Hodie tempestas, rutilat
enim triste coelum", — the sky is red and lowering.
'■' Political Poems and Songs, p. 225.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 137
appeased, was buried in his own cathedral." Now,
St. Basil's day is June 14th, and it seems very im-
probable that the will should have been proved on the
very day of the martyrdom. The will has been sought
for in vain for the purposes of this paper.1
Godwin2 gives the name of the actual murderer, John
Starling, and notes that within a few days he was him-
self beheaded, together with other malefactors who had
taken part in the tragedy ; and he records that the body
of the Archbishop, together with the head, was carried
to Canterbury, where, " ab australi parte altaris sancti
Dunstani sepulturse honorifice mandatum est, paulo
supra tumulum Stratfordi": that is, in the cathedral.
He adds, that whilst he was yet Bishop of London,
" superiorem partem Ecclesias sancti Georgii [an error
for Gregorii] Sudburias de novo construxit "; in other
words, that he rebuilt the chancel of St. Gregory, Sud-
bury.
The Church of Holy Cross, Canterbury, was removed
by Archbishop Sudbury from its old position above
Westgate, when that bar was rebuilt, and was placed
beside it ; and his arms appear within the porch.3 These
arms, as given in the Blazon of Episcopacy* are, azure, a
talbot seiant and bordure engrailed argent. So they
appear in a window at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. In
Dr. Woodward's Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry, the
same arms are given as being those of the College of
Sudbury, Suffolk, but the tinctures are varied, for the
field is gules, and the charges or.
Of the College of Sudbury, Dugdale5 preserves three
documents :— 1. The Royal License granted to Simon de
Sudbury, Bishop of London, and to John his brother, for
1 Miss Emma M. Walforcl writes, " The will of Simon of Sudbury is
not at Somerset House : the earliest will there is 1383. I searched
the earliest Calendar in the hope that the will might not have been
proved at once, but the name does not appear here." Nor is it found
amongst the few Canterbury wills calendared in the Historical MSS.
Commission Reports.
2 De Prwsulibus, edition Richardson, fo., Cambridge, 1743.
3 Murray, Handbook of Kent, fourth edition, p. 138.
4 By the Rev. W. K. Riland, Bedford.
5 Dugdale, Monasticon, edit. 1830, vi, 1370, 1371.
138 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
the foundation of the College, 49 Edw. Ill ; 2. A further
license to the same persons concerning the endowment of
the College, 3 Rich. II ; 3. And a similar license,
7 Rich. II. The Bishop purchased the Church of St.
Gregory of the nuns of Eaton, in Warwickshire, in 1374,
and in the following year caused it to be made collegiate.
He and his brother founded, " in the place where their
father's house stood, a goodly college for six secular
priests, of whom one was to be warden or master." In
the time of Henry VIII the endowment amounted to
£122 : 18 : 3. It was surrendered 36 Henry VIII. The
endowment arose partly out of property in London, partly
from the manors of " Balindone and Middeltone", partly
from land in these two parishes and in Bulmere Magna,
Ma»na Henye, and Parva Henye. The index to the
Monasticon adds, "A part of this house is still existing":
referring, no doubt, to the gateway on the western side
of St. Gregory's churchyard.
" The gate, which is the only portion of the college
remaining, is in a fine state of preservation : but the
college, after being for many years occupied as a work-
house, was pulled down in 1836, and the site used for
the present Union House." So writes a local antiquary
in September 1850.1
Mr. W. W. Hodson, in the Proceedings of the Bury
and West Suffolk Archaeological Institution, gives a
small woodcut of the church and college, showing con-
siderable remains of the old buildings, especially of the
encircling wall.2 And in a later volume of the same
series there is a short but interesting paper on Sudbury
College and the Archbishop.3
Sudbury had also a Priory of some importance ; a few
portions of the outer walls still remain.
It will have been observed that Godwin asserts that
the head of the Archbishop was conveyed to Canterbury,
as well as the body.
1 Bury and West Suffolk Arcluvological Institution, Proceedings, i,
p. 227.
2 Ibid., vii, p. 3G3. ■■> Ibid., vii, pp. 23-32.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 139
Dean Hook makes the same statement, possibly on
Godwin's authority. " The head and body," he says,
" were conveyed to Canterbury, where they were interred
in the Cathedral, not far from the tomb of Archbishop
Elphege."1
He has previously said that " the Archbishop's head
was stuck upon a long pole, and with the heads of those
who had been decapitated with him, was paraded through
the streets of London. To distinguish the Archbishop,
his hat was nailed to his skull. It was at length fixed
upon London Bridge, where it remained for six days. It
was then taken down by Sir William Walworth, accord-
ing to the Political Song, and reverently wrapped in a
pall ; Wat Tyler's head being afterwards substituted in
its place." In support of the statement that the Arch-
bishop's hat "was nailed to his skull", the Dean relies
upon the line already cited —
Atque capellatum clavis in vertice fixis.
Ducange gives as the explanation of capelletum, "genus
capse seu pilei."
Henricus de Knyghton, Canonicus Leycestrensis,2 or
the writer known under this name, makes a statement
which appears to dispose of this part of the story alto-
gether. He has mentioned " Symon de Suthbyry,
Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis et Cancellarius Anglian",
and has given some account of the insurrection. Then
he proceeds : —
Dum haec sic agerentur, ecce degeneres filii remanentes patrein
suura Archiepiscopum cum sociis antedictis, absque vi vel iinpetu,
absque gladio vel sagitta, vel quacunque alia oppressione, set solum
verbis rninacibus et clamore turbido evocaverunt, et ad mortem
invitaverunt, qui sponte non reclamantes tanquam agni coram
tondente se nndipedes, capite discooperto, cingulis abjectis, ac si
homicidio vel furto rei, et sic vindictam mertti essent, libere se
morti indebite optulerunt. Et sic, heu pro dolor ! duo Luciferi
regni indigni cum dignis antequam Rex reveniret super le
tourehill decollati sunt, septem in numero.
1 Hook, Lives of the Archbishops, iv, p. 312.
2 De Eventibus Anglice, column 2634 ; printed in Twysden's Histo-
ric Anylicana : Scriptores decern ; fo., Lond., 1652.
140 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
If, as Knyghton says, the Archbishop came forth
" capite discooperto", this incident of the nailing on of
the hat seems to fall to pieces.
On a review of the various notices which have been
broughi forward, ii seems most likely that when Sir
William Walworth caused the head to be taken down
from London Bridge and wrapped it reverently in a
seemly pall, he may have directed that it should be con-
veyed at once to Sudbury, and deposited in the college
which owed its very existence to the Archbishop's bounty.
If it were ever carried to Canterbury at all, of which
circumstance there is scarcely a scrap of evidence, it is
conceivable that the clergy of Canterbury may have
presented the precious relic to the college bearing the
Prelate's name.
However this may be, it may be seen to-day in the
vestry of St. Gregory's Church, Sudbury, made Collegiate
by the Archbishop.1 The vestry adjoins the chancel,
which was built by Simon himself.
The chancel is well developed, measuring some 62 feet
in length by 21 feet in width, with lofty Perpendicular
windows, and still retaining twenty stalls with their
misereres, one of which is carved with the Prelate's
cognizance, the talbot sejant, a charge found also in the
arms of the Borough of Sudbury.2
On the north side of the chancel is a vestry, and at
its western end is a niche in the wall, measuring 13 inches
by 12, and about 14 or 15 inches deep. In this recess,
guarded formerly by an iron grating,3 and now by a sheet
of thick glass, is the head of Simon of Sudbury. The
forehead is broad and massive, and the skull well pre-
served; portions of clried-up skin and the shrivelled ears
are still adherent. There is no fracture or opening either
at the top or at the sides of the skull, nor any trace of
nail marks : so a local correspondent writes. It may be
believed, therefore, that when the head was placed upon
' Where the writer of this article has seen it many times.
Bury <ni'/ West Suffolk Archaeological Institution, Proceedings, vol.
\ i, ]». xlviii ; vol. vii, pp. 23-32.
'■' The yrille measures 12 in. by 11 ; a shutter covering the glass is
kept locked
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.
141
London Bridge, the pike or pole on which it was dis-
played was driven in at the pharynx, the part which
would give easy entrance.
If there is any truth in the story of the ha1 having
been affixed to the head, on which doubt has been already
thrown, it may have been affixed to the flesh only. But
apart from the evidence of Knyghton, already adduced,
it would have been remarkable enough had the Arch-
bishop retained any head-covering in the tierce melee, or
after the repeated blows of the executioner.
Head of Archbishop Simon at Sudbury.
Below the niche is an inscription written on a sheet of
parchment : —
The Head of Simon Theobald who was born at Sudbury and
thence called Simon of Sudbury. He was sent, when but a
Youth into fforeign Parts to Study the Civil Law. Whereof he
was made Doctor. He visited most of the Universities of ffrancs
was made Chaplain to Pope Innocent and Auditor Eotse
or Judge of the Roman Court. By the Interest of this Pope
he was made Chancellor of Salisbury. In the Year 13G1 he
142 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
was consecrated Bishop of London, and in the Year 1375 was
translated to the See of Canterbury and made Chancellor of
England while he was Bishop of London he Built the
upper part of St. Gregory's in Sudbury ; and where his
itUther's House Stood he erected a College of Secular Priests
and endowed it with the Yearly Revenue of one Hundred
Twenty two Pounds eighteen shillings, and was at length
barborously Beheaded upon Tower Hill in London by the
Rabble in Wat: Tyler's Rebellion in the Reign of
Richard 2nd 1382.
It is a little curious to observe that a similar relic is
found in Canterbury itself. Gostling, in his Walk in and
about the City of Canterbury,1 records that, at St.
Dunstan's Church,
"in a vault under the family chancel of Roper here is kept a
skull, said to he that of the great Sir Thomas More ; it is in a niche
of the wall, secured with an iron grate, though some say his
favourite daughter, Margaret Roper, who lies here, desired to be
buried with it in her arms. The vault, being full, was closed up
not many years since."
Mr. S. Hubert Burke, in his Historical Portraits of the
Tudor Dynasty,2 writes : —
Margaret Roper was buried in S. Dunstan's Church, Canter-
bury. For one hundred years subsequent to her death, the leaden
box containing her father's head was to be seen resting upon her
coffin. In 1835, the Roper vault was examined, and a small niche,
closed with an iron grating, was found in the wall above, into
which the box containing the head of Sir Thomas More was
removed ; and I understand it still remains in the same spot.
In the Gentleman s Magazine* is an interesting article
upon this head, accompanied by a sketch of the barred
niche in which the relic is preserved. The writer of the
article went down into the crypt in 1835, when, during
the re-paving of the chancel, the Roper vault was acci-
dentally opened. The skull, he says, was then "in a
niche in the wall, in a leaden box something of the
1 Fifth edition, Canterbury, 1804.
2 Second edition, vol. i, pp. 3G6, 367 ; quoting Anecdotes of Distin-
guished English Catholics.
■■ May 1837, pp. 494-497. I am indebted to the Rev. G. S. Flint,
of Roper House, Canterbury, for my knowledge of this article, which
was written by his father.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 143
shape of a beehive, open in the front." The vault is on
the north side of the chancel. The article further states
that the body of Sir Thomas More was buried in the Tower
of London ; the head remained about a month on London
Bridge; Margaret Roper purchased the head, which was
about to be thrown into the Thames. She died in 1544,
nine years after her father's execution, and was buried in
the family burying-place at St. Dunstan's ; according to
Lewis, in the preface to Roper's Life of Sir Thomas More,
"with her father's head in her arms, as she had desired."
But Anthony-a-Wood is probably more correct when he
says that in his time the leaden box did yet remain
standing on the coffin of Margaret his daughter.
" Dr. [then Mr.] Rawlinson, informed Hearne, that
when the vault was opened in 1715, the box was seen
inclosed in an iron grate."1
The faithful daughter preserved the head for a time,
and then, "with great devotion, 'twas put into the
Roper vault." The vault is now closed, and the head
can no longer be seen.
In the church of the Holy Trinity, Minories,2 is also
preserved a head, " which the tradition of the place
affirms to be that of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, father
of Lady Jane Grey, who was beheaded February 23,
1554."
The good people of Sudbury have a local tradition that
the body of the murdered Prelate rests in their church of
St. Gregory, beneath a large dark stone, still called the
bishop's stone. John Weever, the antiquary, seems to
give some countenance to the story. Here is his account
of a visit to the church : —
Sudburie. — Saint Gregories.3
In this church I saw a marble stone, some foure yards long
and two broad, sometimes inlayed all over with brasse ; under
which the inhabitants say, that Simon Theobald, alias Sudbury,
lyeth interred; which may be true, for howsoeuer he hath his
Tom be in the Cathedrall Church at Canterbury, of which he was
1 Athence Oxonienses, edition of Dr. Bliss, i, p. 86.
2 London Past and Present, Henry B. Wheatley.
3 John Weever, Ancient Ftmeral Monuments, edit. 1631, p. 743.
144 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
Archbishop (as 1 have written before) yet that may be, perhaps,
onely his Cenotaph or honorarie funerall monument.
This Simon built, whilest hee was Bishop of London, the
Chappell or Vpper end of the Church, where this spatious Graue-
stone lies couched. A- appeares by this Inscription in the glasse
window : —
Orate pro Domino Symone Thepold, alias Sudbury, qui istam
Capellam fundauit, Anno Domini MCCCCXLY in commemora-
cione omnium animarum dedicat. dat. consecrat.
In tlie margin, Weever puts, " The foundation of All
Soules Chappell." It is difficult to understand the date
here given. In the edition of the Funeral Monuments
published in 1767 the date appears as 1465 ; but the
Archbishop died, as has been already stated, in 1381. It
may possibly mean that the chapel, though founded in
the Prelate's lifetime, was not consecrated till the later
date.
He records that the Archbishop preached in Latin at
two Synods which were held in his time ; and he adds
long extracts from Gower's Vox Clamantis, in which the
poet compares the martyrdom of Archbishop Sudbury
with that of Thomas a Becket.
Weever adds some interesting details which may
here find place.1 Most noteworthy is a fragment of an
" Epitaph composed to the memory " of the Prelate : —
Sudburie natus Simon iacet hie tumulatus
Martirizatus nece pro republica stratus,
Heu scelus internum, crux, exitiale, nefandum,
Presulis eximii corpus venerabile dandum
In rabiem Vulgi.
He is speaking about Canterbury Cathedral, so it may be
presumed that the Epitaph was there to be read, and he
adds, " When these hurlie burlies were at an end, the
body of this good Archbishop was conveyed to his owne
Church, and there honourably interred vpon the south
side of the Altar of Saiot Dunstan." And after recount-
ing the good works which the Archbishop carried out
in his cathedral city, he records that " the Maior and the
Aldermen once a yeare vsed to come solemnly to his
1 Ancient Funeral Monuments, 4to., London, 1631, p. 224.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 145
Tombe to pray for his soule, in memory of this his good
deed to their citie, saith Leland in his Commentaries."
The good deed was the building of the west gate of the
city.
The local tradition is further supported by Mr. J. P.
Neale1 : —
At the east end of the north aisle is the vestry, in which is still
preserved the head of Simon Sudbury, who was buried here ; the
magnificent tomb erected to his memory in Canterbury Cathedral
being only a cenotaph. The dried flesh remains upon the bones of
the skull, which is placed in a grated recess, and on the falling
door or flap is a parchment, with an account of the Archbishop
written in an old hand.
Neale mentions "a very large stone, 13ft. long by
6 ft. wide, with indents of brasses, but which has long-
been deprived of the plates," near the monument of the
Rev. John Newman. It is, no doubt, the stone of which
Weever's account has been already given.2
It is very easy to make so bold an assertion as this,
and to speak very positively about the magnificent tomb
in Canterbury Cathedral being " only a cenotaph". It
is more difficult to maintain it in the face of distinct
evidence to the contrary. Happily this statement can be
met by a positive contradiction, resting on evidence
against which there is no appeal. Thus Canon Scott
Robertson writes : —
1 Neale and Le Keux, Views of the most interesting Collegiate and
Parochial Churches in Great Britain. 4 to , London, 1824.
2 In Davy's Suffolk Collections, in the British Museum, Add. MS.
19,078, fol. 305), is the following : " 7 Dec. 1727. I saw at St. Gregory's
Church, in Sudbury, the head of Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of
Canterbury, who was beheaded in Wat Tyler's rebellion. The under-
jaw is lost, and all the teeth are plucked out of the upper. Great part
of the skin is remaining upon it, with part of the eares, nose, and
muscles in the nape of the neck, which are like a spunge or spongious
leather. The sexton often puts in fictitious teeth, etc., which are soon
pilfered (or sold by him). Tis said he built the North Aisle ; near the
upper end lyes a very large marble stone, 4 yds. long and 2 wide (the
brasses are all off), under which tis said his body is buried, and that
his head was afterwards sent from London to be reposited by it (but
never was). Godwin, however, affirms that both the body and the
head were carried to Canterbury, and there buried in the Cathedral. —
Gough's Sepul. Mon., p. lxxv. T. G. C[ullum]," T. Martin's Ch. Notes,
vol. ii, p. 95.
146 THE HEAD OF SIMON OF SUDBURY,
There is no effigy of him, but his altar tomb is surmounted by
an elaborate canopy of tabernacle work. Leland describes this
monument as "a high tomb of copper and gilt." When altera-
tions in the steps and floor caused this tomb to be accidentally
opened in or about a.d. 1833, it was seen that the Archbishop's
head was absent, and in its place was a ball of lead. The body
was wrapped (apparently) in sere cloth.1
Certainly the tomb is not a cenotaph. It was found in
1833 to contain the body of the Archbishop.
An engraving of the tomb will be found in Dart's
History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of
Canterbury,2 and the plan given in the same work shows
its exact position on the south side of the high altar.
His account of the martyrdom could scarcely be shorter
than it is : — " This good man was afterwards beheaded,
in the uproar of Straw and Tyler, upon Tower-Hill in
London." But his whole memoir of the Archbishop is
compressed into thirteen lines.
It is not necessary, in this place, to attempt a sketch
of the life of the martyred Prelate. It is sufficient to
refer to the memoir in Dean Hook's Lives of the Arch-
bishops. He paints the final scene in bold outline. The
old Archbishop officiating in the chapel in the Tower,
that exquisite Norman chapel (which has always fasci-
nated the writer of this article) — he communicates the
King and his Court— the congregation disperses — they
mount their horses in the yard below — the portcullis is
raised — for some reason, carelessness, cowardice, or
treason, it is not lowered— the surging, violent mob—
the dignified demeanour of the Prelate, erect, " with his
cross in his left hand, and a chaplain standing, with the
sacrament in his right hand." The momentary check —
the recovery of audacity — the tumultuous rush — the
hasty exit from the Tower— the cruel death — all are
painted, true to the life.
"Tanner, who gives a list of his writings _ (chiefly
mandates, to be found in Wilkins3) speaks of him as a
1 ArcluHologia Cantiana, vol. xx, p. 290. Paper on " Burial-Places
of the Archbishops of Canterbury," by Canon Scott Robertson.
2 Folio, London, 1726, p. 154. ,
3 That is in Wilkins' Concilia.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 147
man of high literary attainments.1 Perhaps his injunc-
tion for general public prayer on occasion of the pesti-
lence is the most interesting of his compositions."2
The Archbishop begins3 by lamenting the troublous
days in which they lived, with war and pestilence on
every side. He bids them fly for refuge to the Highest,
and with humble hearts implore His pity.
" Oratio enim est instans presidium, adversario in-
cendium, angelis solatium, et Deo gratum sacrificium,
multum enim valet deprecatio justi assid.ua."
He reminds them that so long as Moses stood with
extended hands, so long the people were victorious ; and
that Nineveh was saved by its timely repentance. There
was need of prayer and humiliation ; the magnitude of
sins, the indevotion of the people, the horrors of war,
the insalubrity of the atmosphere, the scarcity of fruits
of the earth, all called men to prayer and supplication.
He tells them of the mercy of God, Who willeth not the
death of a sinner, and exhorts them to their Christian
duties; the clergy, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays,
are to offer up special petitions, and the laity are to join
with them in one united stream of prayer.
His mandate exhibits him as a man of piety : his death
as a man of courage. His piety is the source from which
his courage flowed.
It is my very agreeable duty to offer sincere thanks to
Mr. T. C Partridge, of Sepulchre Street, Sudbury, from
whose studio comes the excellent photograph reproduced
as an illustration to this paper, for his liberality in per-
mitting this use of his skilful work ; and to my friend
Mr. W. Bayly Ransom, of Sudbury, to whose local know-
ledge I am indebted for several details in the description
of the relic, as well as for suggestions with respect to
sources of information.
1 Hook, Lives of the Archbishops, iv, p. 312.
2 In 1375 he accompanied the Duke of Lancaster to Flanders, to
treat of peace. ( Walsingham, Historia Anglicana, i, p. 317.) The Arch-
bishop's autograph signature is preserved at Canterbury. (Historical
MSS. Commission, Report V, p. 430b.
3 "Wilkins, Concilia, in, p. 100.
ill
SHOE-LORE.
BY H. SVF.i; CUMING, ESQ., V.P., F.S.A.SCOT.
{Read 2nd August 1894.)
0 the mere superficial observer there is
nothing about a shoe to occasion a deeper
thought than that it was designed for
the protection of the foot, and yet that
protection seems to enfold within itself
some occult power, some magic and mys-
terious property which is also shared by
its kindreds, — sandal, slipper, and boot.
The Irish fairies have from time immemorial been busy
in the production of tiny brogues, and an Eastern fairy
provided Cinderella with her glass slippers. Mercury's
ailed sandals enabled him to float through the air, and
the seven-league boots of a giant endowed him with
power to perform extraordinary pedestrian feats, as
recorded in the story of Jack and his Eleven Brothers. A
shoe was the abode of the old lady who had more
children than she knew what to do with ; and a boot
was the receptacle into which Sir John Schorn conjured
the Devil ; and an approved way of laying a ghost was
to bury the shoes or boots of the deceased person. Those
who wish to pry into futurity may gather some know-
ledge of their fate by the wear of their shoes. Thus says
an old rhyme :
" Tread on the toe, you '11 blithely go ;
Tread on the heel, you '11 have good weal ;
Tread on the ball, you '11 live to spend all."
A variant of this rhyme, which applies alone to the fair
sex, tells us,
" Wear out the toe, live to see woe ;
Wear out the side, live to be a bride ;
SHOE-LORE. 149
Wear out the ball, live to spend all ;
Wear out the heel, you '11 save a good deal."
James Mason, "Master of Artes", in the Anatomie of
Sorcerie (4to., London, 1G12, p. 90), speaks of " f'o redeem -
bag of evil] lucke by pulling on the shooe awry"; and to
put the left shoe on the right foot has long been consi-
dered an ill omen, to which superstition allusion is made
by Butler in his Iludibras, —
" Augustus having b' oversight
Put on his left shoe 'fore his right,
Had like to have been slain that day
By soldiers mutin'yng for pay."
There is a well-known proverbial saying that the boot
is on the wrong leg when a mistake has been made or
things have gone awry.
The ancient Egyptians painted on the soles of their
sandals figures of captive enemies, this humiliating posi-
tion indicating the hatred of the wearers to their country's
foes. The Royal Psalmist declared (Ps. lx, 8) " Moab is
my washpot ; over Edom will I cast out my shoe."
Sir John Sinclair, in his Statistical Account of Scotland
(x, p. 543, Svo., Edin., 1794), says, " We read of a King of
the Isle of Man sending his shoes to his Majesty of Dublin,
requiring him to carry them before his people on a high
festival, or expect his vengeance. The Irish Monarch
duly followed the command of the Manx Sovereign, and
so saved his sept from war.
" Get under my old shoes" is a common bidding to an
adversary among the Greek women of modern times. It
would, therefore, appear that there was, and still is,
something menacing in a shoe and sandal ; and this is
further shown by a correspondent of Notes and Queries,
who says, "an octogenarian of my acquaintance informs
me that he heard himself thus anathematised, when,
leaving his native village with his bride, he refused to
comply with the extortionate demands of an Irish beggar :
" 'Then it 's bad luck goes wid yer,
For my shoe I toss ;
An ye niver come back,
'T will be no great loss.' "
1895 11
150 SHOE-LORE.
But, in spite of the foregoing, the shoe, generally speak-
ing, has been regarded as an emblem and instrument of
good luck. Reginald Scot, in his Discovery of Witchcraft
(p. 152), among other directions how "to Unbewitch the
Bewitched", gives the following, "Spit into the shoe of
your right foot before you put it on ; and that Vairus
saith is good and wholesome to do before you go into any
dangerous place."
It was a common belief in many parts of England that
cramp might be cured by arranging your shoes in the
form of the letters V or T at the foot of the bed when
ret i ling to rest at night ; and that rheumatism could be
cured by placing them in the shape of a cross by the
bed's side during; the hours of slumber.
A pair of shoes were formerly, and according to some
are still, employed as a love-charm by girls anxious to
get a sight of their future husbands on the sly. On going
to bed the maiden disposes her shoes in the fashion of
the letter T, and whilst so doing repeats the following
rhyme, —
" I place my shoes in the form of a T,
Trusting my true love this night to see,
And learn what like my spouse will be."
This is not the only love-divination in which the shoe
plays a part, for it was formerly the custom in Kent, as
soon as a newly wedded couple had left the house on
their honeymoon trip, for the spinsters and bachelors to
be drawn up in two rows opposite each other ; and when
thus ordered, an old shoe was cast as far as the thrower
could throw, the maidens setting off in a race after it,
and she who gained the prize was believed to have the
best chance of marriage before the year was out. The
winner then threw the shoe for the gentlemen to scramble
for, and he who secured it was regarded as the likeliest
to obtain a wife within the next twelve months. Does
not this old custom explain the proverb, " Win the old
shoe, a husband (or wife) for you."
The shoe figures prominently and strangely in our early
marriage ceremonies. In Chambers'7ioo& of Days (i, 720)
it is stated that " the father presented his son-in-law
witli one of his daughter's shoes as a token of the
siioi«;-loiM'J. 15 1
transfer of authority, and the bride was made to feel
the change by a blow on her head given with the
i "
shoe.
A correspondent in Hone's Table-Booh (ii, 348) says
"There is a custom prevalent in various parts of York-
shire which I do not remember to have seen noticed in
the works of Strutt, Brand, Fosbroke, or any other learned
writer upon such subjects. It is called Trashing, which
signifies pelting people with old shoes on their return
from church on the wedding-day. There were certain
olfences which subjected the parties formerly to this dis-
agreeable liability, such as refusing to contribute to scho-
lars' ' potations' or other convivialities ; but in process of
time the reason of the thing became forgotten, and Trash-
ing wTas indiscriminately practised among the lower
orders, turf-sods or mud being substituted for lack of old
shoes, and generally thrown in jest and good humour
rather than in anger or ill will." This correspondent adds
" that an old shoe is to this day called a trash."
A quaint rhyme enjoins, —
" When on marriage-day forth go,
Some one after thee must throw
Shoe that 's worn, a shoe that 's old,
Matter naught what be its mould ;
Left, or right, or straight ne'er mind,
Charm in it you 're sure to find,
For from harm it keepeth free,
And good luck will bring to thee."
In the Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, old
Gride is described as singing the following lines of a song
in anticipation of his marriage with Madaline Bray, —
" Ta-ran-tan-too,
Throw the old shoe,
And may the wedding be lucky."
In every part of England the throwing an old shoe
after the newly married couple, for luck, has been an
honoured fashion from time out of mind, and the practice
is far from obsolete in London at the present day ; and
if a shoe be not at hand at the required moment, a boot
will do for the nonce. The writer of these notes has a
152 SHOE-LORE.
white satin boot which was taken off a lady's foot to cast
after a bride in 1855. Some have contended that it is
the last shoe which the maiden wore before starting for
her bridal that ought to be flung after her for luck ; hut
if this was once the rule, it is no longer observed, nor is
the shoe set flying always an old one.
In Glamorganshire and other parts of Wales the cus-
tom of throwing the old shoe at weddings is still kept
up ; but the natives of the Principality can give no
account of its origin.
Train, in his History of the Isle of Man (ii, 129), tells
ns, " On the bridegroom leaving his house it was custom-
ary to throw an old shoe after him, and in like manner
an old shoe after the bride on leaving her house to pro-
ceed to church, in order to ensure good luck to each
respectively; and if by stratagem either of the bride's
shoes could be taken off by any spectator on her way
from church, it had to be ransomed by the bridegroom."
After all that has been written respecting the practice
of throwing shoes for luck at weddings, no one seems to
have hit upon the origin of the ancient custom. We
have seen that in olden days the bride's father gave his
son-in-law one of her shoes as an emblem of authority
over her, and as an instrument for her chastisement; but
the question of luck does not seem to have entered into
this transaction. We have also seen that the happy pair
were pelted with old shoes to induce them to give re-
freshment to the rabble that followed the wedding party,
and thus the exploit brought more or less good luck to
the shoe-casters in the way of drink, but brought no
benefit to either bride or bridegroom. Some fancy that
the old custom of shoe-throwing is continued to our time
by those who are altogether ignorant of its origin, but
remember that luck is in some manner mixed up with it.
It is suggested that the throwing old shoes after the
freshly wedded pair may be typical of their having
cast off, and for ever quitted, an old phase of existence,
and entered on a new stage of life, in which all the
throwers wish them good luck. Throw your old shoes
away now you have put on new ones, and may good luck
attend you ! Such, indeed, may be the thought carried
SHOE-LORE. 153
out in the act ; but somewhat against this theory comes
the fact that shoe-throwing for luck was not confined
alone to weddings. In the works of John Haywoode,
" newlie imprinted, 1598", one says, —
" And home agayne hitherward quicke as a bee ;
Now, for good lucke, cast an olde sliooe after nice."
And Grose, in his Classical Dictionary, citing Ben Jonson
saying, "Would I had Kemp's shoes to throw after you",
observes, " Perhaps Kemp was a man remarkable for his
good luck or fortune; throwing an old shoe or shoes after
any one going on an important business being by the
vulgar deemed lucky." It is still considered well to throw
an old shoe after a person starting on a journey on a
Sunday, —
" If thou travel on the Sabbath,
This precaution pray miss not
Have cast after thee an old shoe,
Lest ill-fortune be thy lot."
In spite of all that has been said and sung about shoe-
throwing, the origin of the ancient custom still remains
a profound mystery, and its practice presents a somewhat
tangled web of contradictions ; for whilst on the one hand
to cast a shoe was an act of contempt and menace, it was
in the main an expression of good will, and is in this
sense alluded to by Lord Tennyson in his Lyrical Mono-
logue, where he says, —
"For this thou shalt from all things seek
Marrow of mirth and laughter,
And wheresoe'er thou move, Good Luck
Shall throw her old shoe after."
PRE-NORMAN CHURCHES IN LANCASHIRE.
BY LTEUT.-COL. II. FISHWICK, F.S.A.
(Read, 31 July 1894.)
5E remains of pre-Norman churches in
the county of Lancaster are very few, hut
the evidence of the existence of such
ecclesiastical buildings is strong enough
to lead one to the conclusion that before
the time of Edward the Confessor the
early Christians had erected places of
worship in many districts in Lancashire, of which every
material trace has long ago been swept away. The object
of this paper is to ascertain, at least proximately, the
number of these early churches, and the locality in which
they were placed. To deal with the subject thoroughly
it will be necessary for a moment to refer to the general
history of the district so far as it bears upon the religious
aspect of affairs.
In a.d. 627, Edwin, the King of Northumbria (in which
what is now Lancashire was included), was converted to
Christianity, and Paulinus became Bishop of York ; and
from this northern centre, for some half dozen years, the
new religion rapidly spread ; but in A.D. 633, Penda hav-
ing defeated and slain Edwin, again established paganism,
and no doubt soon crushed out at all events all outward
show of Christianity ; and it is more than probable that
the few small timber-built churches then in existence
were destroyed before a.d. 655, when Oswi defeated
Penda, and Christianity was again restored. To celebrate
the victory over the pagan ruler, Oswi established twelve
religious houses, several of which were situated in York-
shire, but not one of them was built on Lancashire soil.
In a.d. 665 Wilfrid was appointed Bishop of York, but
before he took possession the consecration of Chad to the
PRE-NORMAN CHURCHES IN LANCASHIRE. 155
same See had taken place. It is important to note that
at this time all Northumbria was in the diocese of York,
and that subsequently Chad became Bishop of Lichfield,
which diocese at a later period included a large portion
of the south of Lancashire. Chad died in 672, but Wil-
frid lived until a.d. 709.
After the destruction of the supremacy of Northum-
bria in 685, the district was governed by tributary rulers,
and became a great Christian centre, and doubtless many
churches were now erected. Near the middle of the next
century, however, treason, revolt, wars, famines, and
plagues fast followed each other, and many places in Lan-
cashire were laid waste.
In the year 827 Northumbria became part of the king-
dom, and not long afterwards the Danes again got pos-
session of Northumbria, and held it for many years ; and
as they were a wild, lawless set of pirates, and were
endowed with a strong hatred to the new religion, it may
be safely assumed that most of the primitive churches
were partially, if not totally, destroyed.
Though not left in undisturbed possession, the Danish
influence on this part of the country continued to be
strong, and terminated in the Danish dynasty (1016-42),
before which there is not wanting evidence that the
Danes themselves had, to some extent, begun to tolerate,
if they had not embraced, Christianity : certain it is that
previous to the close of the tenth century there was an
Archbishop and a Bishop of York of Danish blood ; so
that it is just possible that at least a few of our so-
called Saxon churches may have been erected by the
Danes of later date.
The great national record known as Domesday Booh
was not intended to furnish a list of churches, and might
have accomplished almost all that it was compiled for
without giving the names of any of the then existing
ecclesiastical buildings ; nevertheless it does yield very
important evidence on the subject ; which evidence, how-
ever, cannot be considered complete or exhaustive. The
great Survey only mentions by name about a dozen
churches in the entire county.
In the northern part of Lancashire (now known as
156 PRE-NORMAN CHURCHES
Lonsdale, north of the Sands), not a single church is
named, but there is strong- presumptive evidence that at
Kiikliv-Ireleth a pre-Norman church existed. It is only
a few miles from Cartmel, which territory in G85 was
given hy the King of Northumhria to Cuthbert, who was
then Bishop of York. It is a significant fact that the pre-
sent church, which was certainly in existence in the time
of Henry III, is dedicated to St. Cuthbert.
In Lonsdale, south of the Sands, Domesday Booh men-
tions Church Lancaster ("Chercal-oncastre"), and by infer-
ence we may add two other churches, viz., at Tatham and
Tunstall. To four manors (one of which is in Yorkshire)
are said to belong three churches. Two of these manors
are the places just named.
Tatham Church is situated at the north end of the
Hundred, and not far from the Yorkshire border-line. At
the beginning of this century there still remained an arch
to the south door, which Dr. Whitaker pronounced to be
of Saxon workmanship.
Tunstall is a little further to the north, and is not far
from Thurland Castle, which is believed to have been
held by a Saxon thane. Here was also a small Roman
settlement. There are no remains of a pre-Norman church,
but the names of the township afford evidence of exist-
ence of the early Saxon race. The parish is divided into
Tunstall, Cantsfield, Leek, and Burrow -with- Burrow
(Nether-Burrow with Over-Burrow).
The history of the town of Lancaster is such that it is
no wonder that the remains of its early church have long
ago disappeared. One important relic has fortunately
been preserved, viz., a small stone cross which was dug
up in the churchyard in 1807. It bears an inscription in
Anglican runes, which may be translated, (' Pray ye for
Cunibalth, Cuthbart's son", and is attributed to the
seventh century. It may mark the spot where the Saxon
church stood, or may only be one of the preaching-crosses
around which, in early times, the Christians assembled.
At Heysham, a few miles from Lancaster, the nave of
the present church occupies the site of a Saxon building,
of which several distinct traces still remain ; and in the
churchyard is a portion of a Saxon cross, and the hog-
IN LANCASHIRE. 157
backed stone which has been the subject of much learned
controversy. All authorities, however, agree that it is of
very great antiquity, and at least coeval with the intro-
duction of Christianity in these parts.
In llalioii churchyard, near Lancaster, is an elaborately
carved Saxon cross, one side of which represents a Chris-
tian scene, and the other a pagan one, thus proving it to
belong to what may be termed the transition period.
Halton Church is dedicated to St. Wilfrid, and is, there-
fore, not so old as the cross referred to.
The Hundred of Amounderness is first mentioned in
705, when a portion of it, or possibly the whole, was
Ix'stowed upon the Monastery of Ripon in Yorkshire. In
930 it was given by the King to the Church of St. Peter
at York, and would thus appear to have been a likely
district upon which efforts to establish the Christian reli-
gion would be made by its owners ; and, doubtless, some
churches were here erected, every trace of which was
swept away by the frequent wars which had desolated
the district before the Conqueror ascended the throne.
The Domesday Book enumerates sixty-two " vils", in
sixteen of which there were at that time " but few inha-
bitants", and the rest were waste. There were, it is
distinctly stated, only three churches, which are not diffi-
cult to identify, as Preston, Kirkham, and St. Michael's-
on-Wyre. The terminatives of these " vils" are interest-
ing : one-third of them are the Saxon "tons"; amongst
the rest there are four "hams", three " wicks", and tour
Danish "bys".
Preston is dedicated to St. Wilfred, therefore could
not have been founded before the eighth century. No
trace of the Saxon foundation has been preserved. Kirk-
ham may possibly be an earlier foundation than Preston,
as it is in a very large parish which is made up of no
less than seventeen townships, every one of which is
mentioned in Domesday Booh. The town of Kirkham is
built upon the line of a Roman road. St. Michael's-on-
Wyre parish contains the townships of RawclifYe-with-
Tarnicar, Out-RawclifTe, Great Eccleston, Elswick, Inskip,
with Sowerby and Wood Plumpton ; and it is strange
that the church is not in the village of Great Eccleston,
158 PRE-NORMAN CHURCHES
but stands some distance from it. Tin's would lead one
to suppose that the present foundation was not on the
site of the church after which the " ton" was called;
probably the old pre-Norman church was destined, and
a more suitable site selected for its re-erection. Saxon
remains have been found in this parish.
The church of Poulton-le-Fylde is dedicated to St. Chad,
and was probably a Saxon foundation. Garstang (the
"cherestang" of Domesday) has been taken to mean
" church-pool"; and if this is correct, then, notwithstand-
ing its proximity to St. Michael's, a pre-Norman church
must at one time have been built here. Brooches, axes,
swords, and cinerary urns, of Saxon period, have been
discovered in the parish.
In the Hundred of Blackburn only two churches are
named as existing at the time of the Domesday Surrey,
St. Mary's at Whalley, and St. Mary's at Blackburn. The
church at Whalley was founded at a very early date, and
was at one time known as the White Church. In its
burial-ground are still preserved three Saxon crosses,
concerning one of which Professor G. F. Browne writes :
" I know of no stone anywhere which resembles it in the
remarkably bold spirals with which it is ornamented ;
bold alike in their design and in their relief." Bibches-
ter Church is dedicated to St. Wilfred, and is probably
of pre-Norman foundation.
In the Hundred of Leyland there were pre-Norman
churches at Croston and Eccleston, both of which, in a.d.
1090, were given to the Priory of Lancaster; and probably
Saxon churches existed at Leyland and Standish. The
latter is dedicated to St. Wilfred, like so many Lancashire
early churches.
In West Derby Hundred four churches are named in
Domesday Book, Walton-on-the-Hill, Wigan, Winwick,
and Warrington; and at Child wall a priest was stationed,
who probably had some small place of worship erected.
In the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill there are the two
townships of Kirkdale and Kirkby, and probably in one
of them w^as the Saxon church. The church of Winwick
is dedicated to St. Oswald, and lays claim to stand on or
near the site of the battle between Penda and Oswald in
IN LANCASHIRE. 159
a.d. 642. Here is a fragment of a Saxon cross-head
which in size is only exceeded by the one in the crypt at
Lasting-ham. The carvings upon it are of great archaeo-
logical interest. It is assigned to the seventh century.
Warrington Church is dedicated to a Saint not to be
found in the Roman Calendar, St. Elfin. At the time of
the Domesday Survey it was the church of the Walintune
Hundred, and had its endowment of one carucate of land.
In ancient documents it is sometimes described as the
" High Kirk". Close to the church was a circular mound
with a flat top, measuring 60 yards in diameter, which
may have been the funeral pile erected after some great
battle in Saxon times.
At one other place in this Hundred there may have
been a pre-Norman church, that is at Ormskirk. Although
that parish is not named in Domesday Book, two of its
ancient divisions are specified, Skelmerdale and Lathom ;
and the names of the others sufficiently testify to their
great antiquity, — they are Bickerstaffe, Burscough, and
Scarisbrick. But if the tradition be accepted, that the
parish belonged to, and took its name from, a Danish
proprietor called Orm, who married Alice, the sister of
Herveus Walter, a Norman noble, the foundation of the
church could not date before the twelfth century.
In the Hundred of Salford the Domesday Book only
mentions two churches, both of which were in Manches-
ter ; the one dedicated to St. Mary, and the other to
St. Michael ; and they have so long ago disappeared that
it is not now certain on what sites they originally stood.
It is generally supposed that one was in Oldport, and the
other in Acres Field.
The record concerning this part of the county, con-
tained in Domesday Book, is meagre and unsatisfactory.
Manchester, Radcliffe, and Rochdale, are the only places
named ; yet there were certainly other places with names
of undoubted Saxon or Danish origin; for example, Prest-
wich, Ashton, Bolton, Flixton, and Eccles.
Rochdale, in the Confessor's time, was held by a Saxon
thane called Gamel, who, as he had his castle in Castle-
ton, certainly somewhere near to it had his church. The
Rochdale foundation is dedicated to the Saxon Bishop,
Chad.
160 PRE-NORMAN CHURCHES IN LANCASHIRE.
Xo one can doubt but that there may have, from time
to time, been built many small timber churches in various
parts of Lancashire, which in the troubled times of the
eighth and ninth centuries were entirely destroyed, and
the earlier Christians who worshipped there driven from
their settlements ; but of such, at best only temporary
erections, no trace has been left.
To sum up the evidence before us, it appears that
north of the Ribble there were certainly eight pre-Norman
churches, and possibly eleven or twelve ; in the part of
Lancashire between the Mersey and the Ribble we have
eleven such churches named, and five others are likely to
have existed. Thus in the entire county there were nine-
teen churches of which we have positive evidence, and
eight others which are doubtful, or a possible total of
twenty-seven. In a county which has sixty-nine parishes
and four hundred and forty-six townships this seems a
small number ; but considering the nature of the times
which marked the close of the Saxon and Danish periods,
the small population, so frequently reduced by famine,
pestilence, and wars, it may be accepted as somewhere
near the actual number.
In considering this number it must not be overlooked
that in the ninth century the Danes were practically in
possession of Northumbria (which included Lancashire),
and not until the year 954 were they finally suppressed.
True it is that some few of the Danes embraced Christi-
anity, but as a conquering race they were not likely
themselves to build churches, nor to encourage others to
do so ; hence it is, as might be expected, that the num-
ber of pre-Norman churches is by no means large; nor do
we find other evidences of so rapid a spread of Christi-
anity in Lancashire as took place in other parts of the
kingdom.
HISTORICAL NOTES OF WH ALLEY ABBEY.
BY W. DE GRAY BIRCH, F.S.A., OF Til
HON. SEC.
BRITISH MUSEUM,
(Read at the Manchester Congress, 1894.)
HE history of Whalley Abbey cannot be
said, in spite of what all the latest edi-
tions of Whitaker's History contains
about the ancient house, to have yet
been written very fully, for there is much
still unpublished that is worthy of eluci-
dation. This great monastic monument
owes its origin, like so many other Cistercian institutions
in our country, to the removal from a site found by expe-
rience to be unsuitable and unpropitious, to one made
useful to the purposes of the faith which it was founded
to propagate.
The closing years of the twelfth century, a.u. 1172, a
period which seems to have been particularly active with
regard to the dissemination and luxuriant growth of
Cistercian ideas, witnessed the foundation of the Abbey
of Stanlaw, in the neighbouring county of Cheshire, by
John de Lascy, the Constable of Chester and Baron of
Halton. Six years appear to have elapsed before the
Monastery of Stanlaw was in working order, and the date
of a.d. 1178 is given in the foundation-charter, a copy of
which was in the Whalley Begister (which belonged to
Sir Ralph Ashton) when seen by the antiquary Dugdale
in 1627.
According to the foundation-deed, the house was to be
of the Cistercian Order, dedicated (as most of this Order
were) to the honour of the ever Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of Our Lord, and suitably endowed with
ample manorial revenues by the provident piety of its
chief founder. The appropriate appellation of ''Locus
Benedictus" (the Habitation of the Blest) was to be
162 HISTORICAL NOTES
applied to a spot which was blessed indeed by the divine
tutelage and mundane riches it was to enjoy.
But the inconveniences of the site had been overlooked.
As time went on it was found to be low and unpleasant,
inaccessible at some high states of the tide, and occasion-
ally overflowed by the sea, which, in addition to other
discomforts, made continual encroachments on the adja-
cent lands ; consequently, application to the supreme
power of the Church resulted in papal permission being
granted for the removal or translation of the Abbey and
Convent to Whalley, in the county of Lancashire, where
a more suitable site had been bestowed upon the commu-
nity by Henry de Lascy, Earl of Lincoln.
The migration took place on St. Ambrose's Day, 4th
April 1296, and the new plantation of Whalley gave
great offence to the adjacent Cistercian Abbey of Sawley,
which drew up a list of grievances, showing that the
rules of this Order relating to the too close propinquity
of the houses had been infringed, and thus provisions and
supplies were run up in price, so that Sawley suffered a
year's damage of thirty-seven pounds ten shillings ; but
reconciliation was effected. Nevertheless, the buildings
at Stanlaw were not absolutely demolished, for it is re-
corded that the original site remained as a cell, or sub-
ordinate member, to Whalley down to the dissolution of
religious houses. The house at Stanlaw, however, was
not of very large dimensions, and it eventually lapsed
into a mere farmhouse, belonging, in the beginning of
the present century, to Sir Ferdinando Poole, Bart. The
Abbot had been invested with considerable dignity and
importance, for he was, virtute officii, one of the Spiritual
Barons holding under the great Earls of Chester, and
having a seat in the parliament of that powerful palatine
prince. Many documents relating to Stanlaw are known
to exist in the Record Office, the British Museum, and
other public and private depositories of ancient MSS.
Apart from the lessons that an inspection of the ruins
teach us, a few interesting facts are all that remain in
relation to the history of Whalley. The foundation-
stone was laid on the morrow of St. Barnabas (12th June)
in the above mentioned year of the translation, by the
OF WHALLEY ABBUY. 163
benefactor himself, Henry de Lascy. Ten years were
consumed in the work, which must have been very exten-
sive ; and at length completion was so near at hand, that
on the IV Kal. May (28 April) 1306, the greater part of
the Abbey and the whole precinct were solemnly conse-
crated by Thomas, Bishop of Galloway, or Candida Casa,
by virtue of a commission for the purpose given to him
by the Bishop of Chester. It is curious to notice, en
passant, how frequently the Bishops of Galloway acted as
coadjutor-Bishops in England.
Subsequent years saw the completion of the refectory
and kitchen, between 1362 and 1425. The last part of
the fabric of the Abbey that was constructed in accord-
ance with the original design was in 1438. It is said
that the stone with which the building was constructed
was brought from the quarries of Bead and Symondstone.
The Editors of the New Monasticon have put on record
a meagre list of Abbots. Among them we may observe
that very few call for notice on this occasion. For
Robert de Hauworth, a. d. 1296, see next page. Robert
de Topclifee, who succeeded to the abbatial dignity in
1323, made considerable additions to the estates of his
Abbey. It is said that he probably retired before his
death, which is recorded in 1350, because a successor,
John Lyndley, D.D., occurs in 1342. Under Lyndley's
government the Coucher Book of Whalley was compiled.
The last Abbot, John Paslew, or of Paisley, succeeded
in 1506. The troubles of the times appear to have accom-
panied him, for he was arraigned and convicted of high
treason in the early part of the year 1537, for the part he
had taken in the Northern Rebellion, and was executed
at Whalley, 12th March of that year. Two of his monks
shared his fate at the same time.
The value of the site and manor were undoubtedly
great, for in the reign of Edward VI, Richard Ashton and
John Braddyll paid £2,132 : 3 : 9 for them.
The Register belongs to Earl Howe, to whom the pro-
perty descended, and a synopsis of its contents is given
in the Monasticon, where also will be found numerous
references to other original records. Of these, one of the
most interesting is a confirmation by royal inspeximus,
164 HISTORICAL NOTES
under privy seal of Edward III, of the grant of the per-
petual advowson, right of presentation, and patronage,
made in 1288 by Henry de Lascy, Earl of Lincoln and
( lonstable of Chester, of the church of Whalley, with the
chapel dependent thereon, to the Abbot and monks of
Stanlaw, with the churches, lands, and privileges which
had before been granted to them by John, grandfather of
the then Earl, and confirmed by King Edward I. The
date of this important deed is in the reign of Edward III
(1334). It is now preserved in the British Museum,
among the Additional Charters, No. 1060, having been
purchased, in 1833, of Mr. Hodd, a dealer.
Among the Egerton MSS. in the British Museum is a
Chartulary of Stanlaw. It is a small octavo volume of
only three quires, which probably once formed part of a
more extensive book. Herein are contained, besides
copies of charters, a register of the deeds belonging to
the Abbey (folios 13-26), and of the yearly revenues or
firme "quas recipimus per annum" (folios 27-30). It was
written late in the thirteenth century, with some addi-
tions of the fourteenth century. (Egert. MS. 2,600.)
The Cottonian MS., Vespasian, D. xvii, contains at the
beginning, in a handwriting of the sixteenth century, a
few pages entitled " Genealogia fundatorum Monasterii
de Stanlaw et de Whalley, secundum Cronicos." It
records the names of the monks in the institution at the
time of the migration to Whalley, numbering twenty-one,
followed by those who remained at Stanlaw, viz., "llobert
de Hauworth, quondam abbas", and four monks (fol. 6).
The Harl. MS. 1830, contains an article entitled " De
fundatione Ecclesise de Whalley", etc. (paper, seventeenth
century). Herein it is stated that there were crosses in
the churchyard, of stone, popularly called " Cruces beati
Augustini'V'and they still remain there, and are so called
to this day." The tract, which is short, deserves to be
printed, as it contains new and interesting notices of
Stanlaw and Whalley. Mr. S. Andrew has recently
shown, by a plan of Oldham laid before the Lancashire
and Cheshire Antiquarian Society on the occasion of their
visit to Oldham, September 1893, that the parish of
Oldham was marked by seven boundary-crosses similarly
wrought.
OF WHALLEY ABBEY. 165
Addit. MS. 10,374 is the " Cartularium sive Liber Loci
Benedicti de Whalley", a fourteenth century MS., of
small octavo size. It is described in Whitaker's History
of Whalley, pp. I 1 1*-123*. Its contents supply the basis
of (lie history of the Abbey, and in these days of appre-
ciation of original texts well deserves publication in full,
if an editor will undertake to pass it through the press.
Harley MS. 2079, fol. 67, contains some short notes
upon Whalley by Ranclle Holme, the Cheshire antiquary.
He mentions some verses which he found in the house of
Stanlow.
The Cotton MS., Cleopatra, C. iii, contains the "Chro-
nicon Abbatiaa de Stanlaw", and " Quaedam spectantia ad
I'aiuiliam Laceiorum", etc., fol. 325.
Harley MS. 7017, fol. 342, consists of some " Extracta
de Contentis in libro Cronicorum apud Monasterium de
Whalley que monachi ibi habent de fundatoribus suis
apud Stanlaw."
In Harley MS. 2064, f. 65 et seq., are comprised " Carta
abbathipe de Stanlaw ante translationem ad ecclesiam de
Whalley." R. Holme's copies of charters and seals are
at fol. 78. " Carta donorum post translationem Abbathise
a Stanlawa ad ecclesiam Wballeiae"; and at fol. 87, "A
Catalogue of all the gifts and grants to the Abbey of
Stanlaw, and aftirward confirmed to Whalley when the
Abbey was translated their."
Harley MS. 1994, fol. 311, contains an imperfect draft
of an inquest concerning Stanlaw Grange, etc., purchased
by George Cotton, and sold again in the sixteenth century.
In Harl. MS. 1499, fol. 45, is a drawing of the shield
of arms of Whalley Abbey, and a short note concerning
the foundation.
In Harl MS. 3868, fols. 3046, 305, 310, will be found
charters of Whalley, and account of the celebration
therein annually observed on January 17, after the death
of Roger de Meuland, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield,
for the benefactions which he had bestowed on the Abbey,
a.d. 1290, 1299. (Fifteenth century.)
Further notes by the Holmes family in Harley MS.
2060, If. 146, 273, of late date, but should be noticed as
they have hitherto escaped observation.
1895 12
J * ; I *> HISTORICAL NOTKS OF WHALLEY abbey.
Addit. MS. 5726, E. I, fol. 31, states that at Whalley
there was a painted portrait of Anna Macallame, a her-
maphrodite.
A short note of the foundation of Stanlaw and Whalley
is contained in Harley MS. 6032, f. 1186.
In Lansdowne MS. 973, p. 100, fol. 516, is a copy of
the " Redintegratio sive Consolidatio Yicarifle Ecclesia3 de
Whalley ad personatum ejusdem", by Kennett, from the
Registers of Wakefield.
Addit. MS. 32,481, X. 2, is a rubbing of the sepulchral
brass of R. Catterall, a.d. 1515, in Whalley Abbey, made
by Rev. George Rowe, Principal of the Training College,
York.
Cotton MS., Titus, F. iii, art, 20, fol. 258 : " Qusedam
historia de abbatia de Stanlaw, quam fundavit Johannes
Lacy, constabularies Cestria3 et dominus de Halton, a.d.
11 72, cum catalogo abbatum."
Among the entries are the following : " 8 Idus Octobris.
Gilbertus episcopus tunc suffraganeus domini Walteri
Coventrensis et Lichefeldensis Episcopi, dedicavit altare
majus in oratorio monasterii de Whalley in honore Beate
Marie et omnium Sanctorum." The absence of the date
of the year makes it difficult to ascertain who the Suffra-
gan Bishop was. There was a Gilbert Hammensis, a Car-
melite, said by Dr. Stubbs to be probably the Bishop
" Hamarensis", in Norway, consecrated in a.d. 1263, who
occurs in England between a.d. 1273 and 1287. Another
Gilbert, Bishop of Enaghclun, in Ireland, was Suffragan
of Winchester in 1313, and of Worcester in the same
year. (Stubbs, p. 149.) In 1287 a storm blew down the
great belfry of Stanlaw ; in 1289 the greater part of the
Abbey of Stanlaw was destroyed by fire ; in 1330, on
St. Gregory's Day, D. Robert Topcliffe, Abbot, and Con-
vent began to build the new conventual church of Whalley.
The Harley MS. 280, fol. 79, states that Stanlaw Abbey
was founded " in honore Sancti Benedicti, per Johannem
Lacy", in a few notes of little importance.
OTIIAM CHURCH AND PARISH.
BY REV. J. CAVE-BROWNE, M.A., VICAR OF DETLING, KENT.
[Read 6th March 1895.)
HE name of this interesting manor and
parish, like those of several of its neigh-
bours, underwent many changes in early
times. In Domesday it appears as "Ote-
ham"; in Testa de Neville (two cen-
turies later) as " Och'm"; in Archbishop
Sudbury's Register, the first of the Lam-
beth Registers in which the name occurs, it is " Octeham";
in the subsequent Registers and charters there it is
" Otteham" and " Ottham"; and eventually in its present
abridged form of Otham.
Now this very variation, instead of raising a difficulty
as to the probable origin of the name, seems really to
suggest a plausible explanation of it. The grandfather
of Ethelbert, the King of Kent, on Augustine's landing,
was by the Venerable Bede1 called Oth ; by William of
Malmesbury,2 Octa ; also by Simeon of Durham,3 Henry
of Huntingdon,4 Matthew of Westminster.5 Richard of
Cirencester,'5 Ralph Higden,' Thomas de Elmham,8 and
later chroniclers, all evidently following William of Mal-
mesbury ; while Palgrave, in the Saxon Chronicle, adopts
Occa ; and Robert of Gloucester, Occe ; Harris, in his
History of Kent? introduces both forms, Occa and Octa,10
and considers Ocham and Octham as identical. So
recently as the year 1449, in the will of William Crompe
1 Ecclesiastical History, ii, v. 2 T. D. Hardy's ed., i, 16.
3 Symeon of Durham, Rolls Series (from which Series all the subse-
quent references are given), pp. 3 and 367.
4 Ibid., p. 64. 5 Flores Historia;, i, 220.
0 Historia de Heng ; ib., p. 13. 7 Polychronicon, v, 314.
s Historia, etc., p. 138. ,J l0 Pp. 231 and 400.
12 2
168 OTHAM CHURCH
(Archdeacon's Court, Canterbury, i, 4), the name of the
parish is still spelt " Octham".
From this variation, and yet similarity, of names both
of King and parish, is it not an admissible inference
that the one had some connection with the other ? That
the parish may have been so named from being the pro-
perty, and perhaps the residence, of the Saxon King? It
is a coincidence, if nothing more, yet surely enough to
base on it the theory, which seems to receive support,
too, from the fact that at the time of the Conquest
< >tliam was a royal manor, and as such was conferred by
the Conqueror on his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Baieux.
To whom it passed after his expulsion is not so clear.
Like its neighbours, too, of Leeds and Linton, and six
other churches in the county of Kent, Otham has St.
Nicholas for its Patron Saint. It stands on the brow of
the hill, and forms a conspicuous, and with its taper,
shingle-capped tower, a picturesque object in the land-
scape, on the right hand side of the road between Maid-
stone and Ashford. A closer examination discloses many
points of interest, for enough has been preserved from the
hands of the modern restorer to tell its history. That
a church existed here in the days of the Conqueror there
is no doubt; but of that building nothing remains beyond
a few fragments of Norman work built into the western
end of the north wall of the nave.
Of the present structure, the oldest part is undoubtedly
the tower with its small, deep-splayed lancet-windows,
carrying back the mind to the earlier part of the twelfth
century, — the days of the clerkly Henry I, or the troubled
times of Stephen. The entrance-door was clearly on the
east face, long since built up, but its outline is still to be
traced. Between it and the wall of the nave is a more
recent projection, belonging to the time when the rough
rubble had given place to dressed stonework ; the chis-
selled quoins, and the hollow moulded plinth, pointing
rather to the reigns of the earlier Edwards. This pro-
jection was, doubtless, designed to admit a spiral newel-
stair leading into the upper chamber of the tower.
The body of the church belongs rather to the later
portion of the twelfth century, and originally consisted
*-n
AND PARISH. 169
of the present nave and part of the chancel. This view
is suggested by the stringcourse running along the north
face of the western part of the nave, and also by the
trace of the jambs of a very tall Early English window
still to be seen in the north wall of the chancel.
The first addition to this would seem to have been the
erection of a chantry chapel on the north side of the
nave. The stonework is rude and rubbly, and there is
no plinth, while the piscina, in the pier which separates
it from the nave, is of a very simple form. This chapel
was clearly dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was con-
nected, as it still is by local tradition, with the Stoneacre
estate. It is mentioned in the will of John Elys of Stone-
acre, a.d. 1468, as being then out of repair, requiring to
have the pavement and roof restored ; for which purpose
he leaves a sum of money, and a further sum for two
stalls in the body of the church for the parishioners,
and two in the Chapel of St. Mary for his wife and her
servants.1
Some years after, apparently, as the dressed masonry
and the plinth suggest, a further addition was made on
this side ; a second chapel was built on at the east, and
was connected with that of St. Mary by cutting an arch
through its east end, while another arch was cut through
the wall on the south, attaching it to the chancel. On
the inner face of each of these arches may be traced the
same mason's mark, proving that both were cut by the
same workman, and, no doubt, at the same time. The
two chapels thus combined now form the north aisle.
This second chapel, by tradition, belongs to the Gore
Court estate, and was probably erected by a Hendley.
It would seem that the opening out of this arch had so
reduced the length of the chancel as to render it neces-
sary to extend it some 8 ft. further east, — an extension
easily traced in the masonry of the north wall, on the
outside, and also in the junction of the old and the new
1 The words of the will (Prerogative Court, Somerset House, Godyn,
24) are as follow : "Item volo quod duo stabella facta in Ecclesia de
Otham, pro parochianis, et duo in Capella beate Marie ibidem pro
uxore mea et ancillis suis et volo quod ilia Capella paviatur et
te^atur secundum discretionem executorum meorum."
170 OTHAM CHURCH
in the inside of the south wall, which accounts for its
being out of the right line.
Another feature of the church, of no common interest,
and of considerable perplexity to antiquaries, deserves
special notice. In the north wall of the nave, westward
of the Chapel of St. Mary, is a rich Decorated doorway,
with its graceful hood-moulding, of the early part of the
fourteenth century, and slightly cusped quatrefoils in the
spandrels ; while along the entire width above is a range
of four Decorated panels with ogee-heads ; this door-
way and panelling are enclosed within a corresponding
moulding running along the top and down both sides to
the ground. Immediately above this group of elegant
Decorated work runs a light stringcourse of tufa of a
much earlier period, corresponding with the date of the
original wall ; thus confirming the theory that this was
an insertion brought from some other part of the church,
possibly an entrance-door to one of the chapels. It seems
to be too rich in detail for a north door.
The porch is the most recent addition made to the
church, without a single feature to relieve its dispropor-
tion and meagreness of design. The windows, too, are
such recent restorations that they give no reliable indi-
cation of date, though very fair imitations of the earlier
Perpendicular period.
In the interior are brackets, or corbels, projecting from
the walls, formerly no doubt used for images and lights,
of which there must have been several, as appears from
wills containing bequests, one by John Elys1 (already
referred to), in the year 1468, for lights to the Holy Cross,
to the Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas and St. James, and for
an image of St. Christopher, to be placed (" super tabu-
/"///") over the table. Then forty years later (a.d. 1508),
Benedicta, the widow of William Colyn "of Owleshole",
bequeaths lights to the same Saints, and also the sum of
" xli. to the Rode of Otham Church".2
The parish rate-books record considerable expenses
incurred in repairs in the church, and especially in the
1 Prerogative Court, Somerset House, Godyn, f. 24.
2 Archdeacon's Court, Canterbury, v, 11.
DOORWAY, OTHAM CHURCH.
WD PARISH. 171
tower, in 1747. The church was entirely re-pewed and
repaired in 18G4-5.
Notwithstanding the many families of importance who
have at different times found a home in this parish, the
church is by no means rich in monuments. Mention is
made of several as once existing here, which have now
disappeared. Kilburne, writing in 1659, says, "there is,
or lately was, a memorial of the interment of Constenton
about '230 years since." Seymour, too, a century and a
half later, repeats the same statement, probably on Kil-
burne's authority. Then old John Weever says that in
his time (16:31) the following inscriptions existed in the
church : " Hie jacet Dominus Nicholas de Sandwich, qui
quondam fuit Rector istius ecclesie de Ossham (sic), ob.
1370"; and also, "Hie jacet Johannes Elys, Arm[iger], qui
obiit 18 die mensis Septembr'annol467: cujus anime pro-
picietur Deus." But of none of these does a vestige now
remain ; nor of another, which was designed and "willed"
to be placed as a monumental brass on one of the pillars
of the church early in the sixteenth century (1524), which
would have served as a memento of the Ascrey1 or Astrey
family, who for a short time owned Gore Court, while
those now remaining refer to the subsequent owners of
that estate, the Hendleys, Fludds, Buffkyns, and Homes.
The earliest of the monuments now remaining in the
church is one to the memory of Thomas Hendley, the
1 Among the wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, at Somer-
set House (Bodfelde, f. 251), is that of Lady Margery Ascrey, the
widow of Sir Ralph Ascrey, who died in 1524, by which she bequeaths
a specified sum of money (and more if required) in the following terms :
" I will and my minde is that myn executor shall se & provide a table
of Coper (sic) as large and as brode as shall be necessary and sufficient,
to be sett in a piller within the Church of Ottam in Kent, as nygh
where the body of my sonne, John Revel! , lyeth buried, and in the
same table to be graven an Image or Pictour as like unto the said
John Revell as it may be conveniently to be doon, togedir with his
a nn ys and certain scriptures", etc. She had first married William
Edwards, citizen and grocer of London, who had died in 1487 ; then
Robert Revell, also citizen and Alderman, who had died in 1491; and
lastly, Sir Ralph Astrye or Astry, Knight, and late Alderman also. It
was the son of her second husband to whose memory she wished this
mural brass to be placed. On this a question rises, Were brasses
designed to be portraits'?
172
OTHAM CHURCH
first of the Corsehorne family who made his home in
Otham. Of him and his marriages full particulars will
be given in the account of the Manor House, which will
help to explain the details of the monument. It is a
small brass, evidently lying originally on the floor, but
now fixed on the south wall of the chancel. It represents
him kneeling at an altar-tomb or prie-dieu, his wife (no
doubt the first) with her four children, two sons and two
daughters, behind her, while behind him kneel two other
P.rass in Otham Church.
females, the second and third wives. In the centre
is a shield bearing quarterly, 1 and 4, paly, bendy,
gules and azure, an orle of martlets ; 2 and 3, argent,
a saltire engrailed, ermine, between four roundles, on a
chief azure a hind couchant or; these quarterings refer-
ring probably to the two forms in which the name once
appeared, of Hindley as well as Hendley} Under this is
the following inscription : —
" In God is all my trust.
Here lyeth the body of Thomas Hendley, Esquier by degree,
The yongest sonne of Ieruis Hendley of Corsworne in Cranke-
brocke (sic), Gentleman known to be,
Who gavre a house and also land, the fiftene for to pay,
And to releiue the people poore of this parisshe for aye.
The name occurs in the form of Hindley in a will of Johannes
Hindlee in the year 1 171, which accounts for the double coat, where
tli'' land on the chief, in the quarterings 2 and 3, points to the name
Hindley, and those in the 1 and 4 to the Hendley form.
AND PARISH. 173
He died the daye of from hym that Iudas sould,
A thousand Hue hundreth & ninety yeres, being eightie nine
yeres ould.
Protesting often before his death, when lie liis faith declared,
That only by the death of Christ lie hoped to be saued.
Christ is oure only saviour."
The next of the Hendley monuments, after an interval
of three generations, is to the memory of John Hendley,
his great-grandson, which is a massive tablet on the
opposite wall of the chancel, and bears the following in-
scription : —
"Here resteth in Hop(e) the body of John Hendley, Esq., son of
Sir Thomas Hendley of Courshorne in the Parish of Cranbrooke, Kt.,
who married Priscilla, the only daughter of Thomas Fludd of Goare
Court inOttham, Esq., and had by her five sons, Thomas, John, Walter,
Bowyer, and William, and two daughters, Bridget and Elizabeth.
Thomas, ye eldest, died ye 17th of Aprill 1G78, aged 28 yeares;
Walter, his third sone, died the 26th of October 1668, aged 16 yeares,
and are both here interred. Hee died ye 30th of April! 1676, aged 59
yeares. Out of loue to whose Person and Memory the said Priscilla
caused this monument to be erected, Anno Dom' 1678."
"At the upper end of this Chancell, next ye tomb, lyeth the body of
Priscilla Hendley, wife of the above-named John Hendley, Esq., who
died Decemb. 26, 1684. ^Etat. suae, 58."
In the person of Bowyer Hendley, the son of this John
and Priscilla Hendley, the wealth and influence of his
ancestor Thomas, to whom the brass already noticed
refers, was revived. His name is thus memorialised on
a large marble monument on the north wall of the chan-
cel chapel, now completely hidden by the organ. His
grave would seem to be outside, in the churchyard,
behind the monument.
"In a vault behind this marble stone lies interred the body of
Bowyer Hendley, Esq., who married Mary, the only daughter and
heiress of Thomas Sharpe, of Benenden in the County of Kent, gentle-
man, and had issue by her six sons, John, Bowyer, Thomas, John,
William, and Walter; and four daughters, Elizabeth, Mary, Priscilla,
and Ann. He died December 3rd, 1712, aged 87 : in memory of whom
his beloved relict caused this monument to be erected.
" In the same vault also lies interred ye body of Mary Hendley,
relict of Bowyer Hendley, Esq., who departed this life the 18th Novem-
ber 1752, aged 88 years."
The last of the Hendley monuments, which is in the
same chapel, is to the memory of Elizabeth, the widow
1 74 OTHAM CHURCH
of William, a younger son of the preceding Bowyer
Hendley. To her son William this testimony to a
mother's worth is due :
"Ad pedem hujus marmoris conduntur reliquiae Elizabeths Hendley,
uxoris Gulielmi Hendley gen. Ilia obiit xiii Calend. Nov. mdcxcvii.
Efceliquit tilios Johannem et Gulielmum filiamq. Mariam. Necnon a
tergo lapidis hujus extra murum altera jacet uxor, Margareta, qua? obiit
v Nonarum Junii MDCCXII. Ipsaq. reliquit Filium unicum Alabastrum.
Utriu8q. pietas eximia, pra?cipue vero Margareta?, ut in libro vitae
nomina jam scribi fecit ita memoriam inter pios tenet & tenebit aeter-
nain.
"Gulielmus Hendley hoc monumentum posuit Anno Salutis mdccxxi."
At the foot of this tomb appears the following note :
"The above named Wm. Hendley, Gent, dy'd 24th May 1794, & was
buried in ye vault with his wife Margaret, aged 67."
This clearly refers to William Hendley the son, whose
wife's name was also Margaret. William Hendley, the
father, had been buried in 1724.
When Thos. Hendley, in the sixteenth century, bought
the Gore Court estate' from Ascrey, he soon after parted
with the house to Levyn Buffkyn, of whom a memorial
appears in the church, — a marble monument on the south
wall of the church, erected by his son Ralph, of which
the inscription runs thus :
" Memoria? Sacrum.
La?vinus Buffkyn de Gore Court in Ottam, apud Cantianos, armi-
geri (sic) films
Radulphi Buffkyn ibidem Armigeri, et Anna filia Domini Johannis
Gilford de
Hamsted, apud eosdem Cantianos, Equitis Aurati, marium duorum
Henrici1 et Radulphi,
Totidemq. filiarum, Catharime et Barbara?, parentes, hie juxta jacent.
Lsevinus pater annos natus octoginta quatuor, obiit xxiv die IXbris
MDCXVII.
1 Among the Streatfield MSS. in the British Museum (No. 37,657, 6)
is a family revelation to the effect that Henry Buffkyn (Ralph's eldest
son) was a spendthrift, and was so heavily involved in debt that his
mother consented to sell "the Maidstone Rectory", which was part of
her jointure, to pay his debts. This may account for the absence of
any further mention of his name in this inscription, and for his having
had no share in the erection of this monument to the memory of his
parents.
A.ND PARISH. 175
Anna vero Mater tricesimum setatis sua1 annum vix aut ne vix prav
tergressa charissimi
Sui conjugis funua moriendo prior longissime antevertit.
Optimis hisce dulcissimisq. parentibus Etadulphus Buffkyn filius
eorum natu minor
Quod mserens vovit subingemiscena posuit x die Vllbris mdcxx."
Between this and the long Latin inscription given
below is a flat space in which are two medallion-busts of
his parents, with the family escutcheon in the centre.
" In illustre par. Lsevinum atque Annam conjuges.
Epitaphica.
Artifices quorsuin fingendo in corpore toto
Sudatis 1 stat vultu index totius in uno ;
Hac in parte igitur qua' ca'lum est jussa tueri.
Nobilitate suapte merens ut sola supersit,
Vos, O par charum, Lsevine atque Anna parentes,
Spectandos posuit liens vestra propago Radulphus,
Sed non sic toti extatis : fugientia niarmor
Nomina vestra tenet, memori nos niente tenemus ;
Cretera virtutum testis vicinia tota :
Et testis fama est, saxo longsevior omni,
Moribus egregiis cohonestans oris honores
Magnanimus, suavis, prudens, sed candidus idem,
Nullus amicorum vir amantior, omnibus sequus;
Pacificus, bellax, et abhorrens mollia lautus,
Deditus hospitio, quod sic Deus ipse probavit,
Ut sobole et vegeto senio, cunctisque bea'rit.
Hie Lajvinus erat, Lrevinoque Anna marito,
Qua virtus, qua forma placet, dignissima conjux :
Ergo ut casta fides, thalamum servavit utrique
Marmor utrique unum sic laudem et nomina servat.
Extincta vita?. Extincta vitae."
"N.B. Anne, the wief (sic) of Lewin Buffkin, Esquire, was buried
Dec. 30, 1580.
"Lewen (sic) Buffkyn, Esquire, was buried Nov. 25, 1617."
The word " vultus" clearly refers to the busts, as show-
ing all that was distinctive and worth preserving as
mementoes of the departed ; alluding, no doubt, to Ovid's
lines in the Metamorphosis (i, 85) :
" Os homini sublime dedit, cselumq. tueri
Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus."
The next family to become occupants of Gore Court
were the Fludds ; and of one of them, too, the church
has its memorial in a massive marble monument on the
176 OTHAM CHURCH
south wall of the chancel, with the following inscrip-
tion : —
"Near this place resteth in hope the body of Thomas Fludd, Esq.,
of Gore Court in this parish. He was the son of Alabaster Fludd, and
grandson of Thomas Fludd, Esq., who were both interred here. He
married Paulina, ye daughter of John Miinn, Esq., of Otteridge in ye
Parish of Bersted, and had issue by her two sons and one daughter.
He was buried the 10th clay of July Anno Dorn. 1688, aged 38 years.
Thomas, his eldest son, and Paulina his daughter (who were twins),
were both buried here, December ye 20th, Anno Dom. 1683, aged 5
days. Thomas, his youngest, was buried here, June ye 4th, 1689, aged
one year & 7 months.
" Paulina, wife of the late Thomas Fludd, Esq., for the kind affection
she had for her beloved relatives, caused this Monument to be erected.
" Memento Mori."
" Here also lieth the Body of Pious Paulina Fludd, who departed
this life the 8th of May, Anno Dom. 1722, aged 69 years."
On a marble slab on the lower part of the south wall
of the chancel is an epitaph to the memory of Bishop
Home of Norwich, being, with the exception of the third
line, which refers to his connection with Otham, a copy
of that in the choir of Norwich Cathedral, and of that in
Eltham Church (where he was buried), that having been
the residence of his father-in-law, Mr. Burton :
" Sacred to the Memory of
The Right Reverend George Horne, D.D.
(Son of the Rev. Samuel Horne, Rector of this Parish),
Many years President of Magdalen College in Oxford,
Dean of Canterbury,
And late Bishop of Norwich ;
In whose character
Depth of learning, brightness of imagination,
Sanctity of manners, and sweetness of temper,
Were united beyond the usual lot of mortality.
With his discourses from the pulpit his hearers,
Whether of the University, the City, or the country parish,
Were edified and delighted.
His Commentary on the Psalms will continue to be
A companion to the closet
Till the devotion of earth shall end in the Hallelujahs of Heaven.
His soul having patiently suffered under such infirmities
As seemed not due to his years,
Took its flight from this vale of misery,
To the unspeakable loss of the Church of England.
And his surviving friends and admirers,
January 17, 1792, in the 62nd year of his age."
AND PARISH. 177
By the side of the tablet to the memory of Bishop Home
is one to a friend who was scarcely less widely known
and honoured among the lay members of the Church of
that day than was Bishop Home among its Prelates.
William Stevens was the son of a sister of Samuel Home,
and therefore cousin of Bishop Home and of William, the
Kector of Otham. Kindred tastes as well as kinship
brought and held together the two men. As Treasurer
of Queen Anne's Bounty, Mr. Stevens was ever in daily
contact with the leading dignitaries of the Church, and
his office made him painfully familiar with the wants of
the poorer clergy, who found in him so sympathising and
liberal a friend. William Jones of Nayland dedicates to
him his Life of Bishop Home, and describes him as "a
man of singular excellence of character, and of sound
learning, particularly in divinity." Several treatises on
the theological questions which were then disturbing the
religious mind proceeded from his pen. These,, at the
solicitation of his friends, he collected into a volume
which, with characteristic humility, he entitled " Of Set-o?
Epya, or the Works of Nobody"; in allusion to which his
friends, after his death, formed themselves into a society
which they called " Nobody's Club." The epitaph on the
tablet in Otham Church thus records his worth :
" Sacred to the Memory of
William Stevens, Esq.,
Late of Broad Street in the City of London, Merchant,
And many years Treasurer of Queen Anne's Bounty,
Whose remains by his own desire were deposited near this Church.
Which he delighted to frequent as the place of his Devotion,
And which he had repaired and adorned by his Munificence.
Educated, and during his whole life engaged in trade,
He yet found time to enrich his Mind
With English, French, Latin, Greek, and especially Hebrew Literature,
And connected by consanguinity and affection with many
Of the most distinguished Divines of his age,
He was inferior to none in profound Knowledge and steady Practice
Of the Doctrines and Discipline of the Church of England.
Austere to himself alone, charitable and indulgent towards others,
He attracted the Young by the Cheerfulness of his Temper,
The Old by the Sanctity of his Life :
And tempering instructive Admonition with inoffensive Wit,
I Uniting fervent Piety towards God
With unbounded Goodwill and well-regulated Beneficence towards Men,
178 OtHam CHtrncfl
Illustrating his Christian Profession by his own consistent Example,
He became the blessed means, through Divine Grace,
Of winning many to the ways of Righteousness.
He finished his Probation, and entered into his Rest,
On the 7th day of February 1807,
In the 75th year of his Age."
He was buried in what, before the enlargement of the
churchyard in 1864-5, was the north-east corner, and the
spot is still known, though no tombstone marks it. Is
there no surviving member of " Nobody's Friends" who
would be glad to do honour to his memory by placing a
stone on " Nobody's" grave 1
OTHAM MANOR-HOUSE.
Before we attempt to trace the history of the manor
itself, it may be well to endeavour to identify, if possible,
the site of the original manor-house, of which even
tradition has failed to preserve for it its rightful dis-
tinction.
Among the many old houses still standing in the parish,
the one which probably has the best claim to the title is
that now only known as " Madam Taylor's". It is an old
building, once clearly of larger proportions and more
pretension, as is indicated by its goodly staircase and spa-
cious panelled upper room ; but in its reduced form
serving only as tenements for labourers' families. It has,
too, a large walled garden attached, retaining every sign
of decayed gentility. But its very name is lost, or, rather,
has given place to that of a much more recent occupant,
Madam Taylor, to whom rumour, in its vagueness, has
imparted a touch of romance. Of whom more pre-
sently.
Assuming then, as we may, that " Madam Taylor's"
was the original Manor-house (and no other in the village
seems to be so entitled to the name), what is its history ?
In the days of the Conqueror, Domesday1 tells us that it
1 In Domesday the record stands thus : "Goisfridus de Ros tenet de
episcopo Oteham . Pro uno solin & uno jugo se defendit . Terra est II
carucarum k dimidiae . In dominio est una . Et IX villani cum III
hordariis habent I carucam . Ibi Ecclesia . Et II servi . & I molinus de
AND PARISH. 179
was held by Goisfrid de Ros (Godfrey de Roos), under
Odo, Bishop of Baieux. The next mention of it is in
Testa tie Nevill, a compilation of records taken from Inqui-
sitions in the reigns of Henry III and Edward I, where
it appears as being held by " Petrus de Otteham" jointly
with the heir of William de Ros.1 This Peter, to
whom the manor seems to have given the name, had a
daughter named Loretta, who married William Valoynes,
and thus swelled the estates and increased the influ-
ence of that family, which was at the time one of the
wealthiest and most powerful in the county, — the name
still preserved in that of the neighbouring parish of
Sutton Valence. Surviving her husband, she divided
her estates between her two sons, Walter and Robert
Yaloynes.2 To the elder of these Otham must have
passed, as his widow, Isabel, was seized of it in the year
1346, when she appears, conjointly with two co-trustees,
Richard Colyn and Nicholas Sandwich, as contributing
to the aid which Edward J II demanded for the knight-
ing of the Black Prince.3
From the Valoynes family the manor, with the ad vow -
son attached to it, passed, in the reign of Richard IT, by
purchase, to Sir Ralph de Frenyngham (or Farningham)
v solidis &■ III acne prati . Silva VIII porcorum . T. R. E. valebat
IIII libras . Quando recepit III libras . Modo IIII libras . Aluuinus
tenuit de Rege E." Which may be thus rendered : " Goisfrid de Ros
holds Oteham of the Bishop [of Baieux]. It is rated at one suling and
one yoke. There is arable land of two teams and a half. In the de-
mesne there is one. And nine villani with three bordarii have one
team. There is a church and two servi. One mill of five shillings and
three acres of meadow. Wood of eight hogs. In the time of King
Edward (the Confessor) it was worth four pounds. When he received
it, three pounds. Now four pounds. Alcuuin held it of King Edward."
1 The entry is, " De Margeria de Ripariis et ipsa de Domino Rege.
Petrus de Otteham unum feodum in eadem de herede Willielmi de Ros
& ipse"' (f. 28, p. 214, Kancie Com., f. 28); and again (f. 49, p. 219),
" Will's de Ros feoda ij milit' in Lullingeston, Och'm & Lehe."
2 Harris, Hist., p. 231.
3 The connection of these two men is not without its interest, for
Richard Colyn held a small estate in the parish, then known as Owl's
Hole, afterwards Colyn's, and now Otham Court ; while the name of
Sandwich had a still earlier connection with Otham, from Robert
Valoynes having presented Nicholas de Sandwich to the rectory in the
year 1313, who, Weever says, was buried in the church.
180 OTHAM CHUKCH
de Lose, whose son John left it to a kinsman, John Pympe,
of Pympe Court, in Loose (? Nettlested), on the condition
that he endowed two chaplains {capellanos), one to Box-
ley, the other to East Farleigh, to pray for the souls of
himself and his relatives ; with remainder, however, on
failure of male issue, to another relative, Sir John Isle, or
isley, of Sundridge.1 It continued with the Pympe family
for two generations, when John Pympe, the grandson,
dviiig without a son, in 1411, it was conveyed, according
to the terms of John de Frenyngham's hequest, to the
Isleys.
The manor remained with the Isley family nearly one
hundred and forty years, i.e., from 1411 to 1543, when it
passed by purchase to Thomas Hendle or Hendley. This
brings upon the scene a family that became eventually
the owners of nearly all the parish. Thomas Hendle
was the younger son of Gervase (or Jervis) Hendle, Esq.,
whose family held Corsehorne Manor, in Cranbrook, since
the days of Edward II. His elder brother, Sir Walter,
1 The full particulars of this bequest are given in a MS. in the Sur-
renden Collection, preserved in the College of Arms, and alluded to in
the Historical Commissions' Report, viii, p. 329. The transfer is thus :
" Maneria, &c. Johannis de Frenvnghani de Lose, Concessa Johanni
Pympe Cum secundum extremam intencionem et voluntatem Johannis
Frenyngham de Lose, dare et concedere intendimus, ut tenemur,
Johanni de Pympe, filio Reginaldi de Pympe, Maneria nostra de Lose,
Otteham cum advocacione ecclesie, <fcc, <fec, prefato Johanni de Pympe
&, heredibus suis masculis de corpore suo legitime procreatis, inveni-
endo & sustendando duos Capellanos idoneos soil, unum in Monasterio
de Boxle, et alterum eorum in Estfarlegh Et si contingat
predictum Johannem Pympe sine herede masculo de corpore suo legi-
time procreato obire, extunc omnia predicta Maneria, Avocaciones,
&c, Rogero Isle consanguineo et proximo de sanguine predicti Johan-
nis Frenyngham de Lose, scil. Idem Rogerus Isle, filius Johannis Isle,
filii Johanne, sororois Johannis Frenyngham, patris Radulphi Frenyng-
ham, patris predicti Johannis de Lose, etc., &c."
Johannes de Frenyngham = Agnes Johanna= Isle
Sir Ralph de Frenyngham=Katharina John Isle =
John Frenyngham = Alice Roger Isle =
AND PARISH. 181
Serjeant-at-law, was appointed Solicitor to the Board of
Augmentation by Henry VI1L on the resignation of
Robert Southwell, a name so frequently occurring in the
Suppression of the Monasteries.
Sir Walter's position gave him great facilities for obtain-
ing from the Crown extensive estates out of the confis-
cated property of the suppressed houses. Leaving no son
(only three daughters), a large portion of these estates
fell to his younger brother Thomas, who also held the
office of seneschal, or steward, over several royal manors,
to wit, Maidstone, Leeds, etc., as well as private ones,
like Boxley, and thus amassed considerable wealth.
Thomas Hendley first married Eliza, widow of Thomas
Ellys of Kennington, who died in 1557 ; in 1559 he mar-
ried Johanna, daughter of John Tebold of Deal, widow of
John Pawley, an influential citizen of London, who died
in 1565 ; and thirdly, Lady Catherine Moyle, the widow
of Sir Thomas Moyle, Knt., of Westwell, who had been
Speaker of the House of Commons in 1541, and died in
1560. His will is at Somerset House (Mellershe, 55).
He chose Otham as his residence, and in 1543 bought of
William Isley the manor and advowson, which remained
in the family for three hundred years. In 1550 he also
bought the adjacent estate of Gore Court of Mr. Thomas
Ascrey (or Astrey, or Ashway, as the name is variously
spelt), who was lord of the adjoining manor of Langley.
Mr. Hendle, retaining a portion of the land, sold the
Gore Court House to Levyn BufFkyn, Esq. He had, in
1547, also purchased Stone House (in Maidstone, or Bear-
sted), and appears to have removed there in 1567, when
he leased his Manor-house to Robert Baker, a farmer, of
Hadlow, and never resumed it as a residence. Its his-
tory from that time would seem to have been a blank,
occupied probably by a succession of tenants until in the
middle of the last century it became the home of " Madam
Taylor", with whose name it has been ever since associ-
ated, and that to such an extent that on a map printed
by Andrews, Drury, and Herbert, in 1779, the house,
with its garden weil defined, was called " Mrs. Taylor's".
Thomas Hendley 's eldest son, Walter Hendley the
second (as he was called to distinguish him from his
1895 13
1 S2 OTHAM UHURCfl
uncle. Sir Walter), married Frances, daughter of Sir
.lames Hales, the unfortunate victim of Bishop Gardner's
hate who had been a fellow-Commissioner with the elder
Sir Walter, his great-uncle, in the investigation of the
religious houses in Kent. He predeceased his father, and
left, among others, a son Thomas, who, like his father,
preferred Coreshorne to Otham, as did his descendants
for two generations, till his great-grandson, John Hendle,
by marrying Priscilla Fludd, the heiress of Gore Court,
brought back the old family name to Otham, and re-
united the two estates till the one became merged into
the other.
To return to the old Manor-House and " Madam Tay-
lor", whose history is so full of romance, and over which
local rumour has thrown a veil of mystery. She was the
daughter of Bowyer Hendley of Gore Court, where she
was born in 161)3, and was buried in Otham churchyard,
as the entry in the Register shows, under date "1780,
October 18, Elizabeth Taylor, Widow, Daughter of Bow-
yer Henley, Esq., setat. 96." But of her intermediate life
all seems a blank, beyond the village gossip of a now fast
disappearing generation. Their tale is that she married
(but where is not clear, no entry of it being in the
Otham Register, or among the Licences at Canterbury) a
Mr. Taylor, who parted from her at the church door, and
whom she never saw again. It is rumoured, however,
that not long before her death a young man called upon
her, giving the name of Taylor, and saying he was the
son of the man to whom she had gone through the
ceremony of marriage. Her name appears in the parish
books as having been rated for a house and land of some
importance for several }Tears in the middle of the last
century. Thus mystery enveloped the house and its
lonely occupant, Madam Taylor, who was chiefly known
by repute among the last generation as being the "Lady
Bountiful" of the village.
The history of the Gore Court house may be more
briefly told, blended as it is more than once with that
of the Manor-house. As a distinct estate it is first
mentioned as being owned by Richard Colyn, the friend
and relative of Elizabeth, widow of Waruntius de
AMi PARISH. 183
Valoignes, in the collection of the "Aid", in the reign of
Edward III. Of the building which then formed the
dwelling of the Colyns, from whom probably came the
name of Colyn's Hole, some traces may still be detected
in the thick walls and blocked-up windows in the cellars
of the present house. The next name that occurs in
connection with it is that of the Isles or (Isleys) of
Sundridge, from whom it soon passed to the Ascreys (or
Astreys or Ashways). For Lady Margery Ascrey, in
her will dated 1524,1 speaks of her late husband Sir Ralph
Ascrey as being " of Gore Court". It was from her son
William Ascrey that, as already mentioned, Thomas
Hendley bought it in 1550. At that time it would have
comprised little more than the spacious central hall,
with a sleeping apartment on the south side, and a
"Guest chamber". To this Hall Thomas Hendley seems
to have added on the north what is now the drawing-
room, for the barge-boarding of the gable outside has
what was probably meant as the initials (£♦ 1|)., and very
distinctly the date 1577. Hendley sold the house to
Levyn Buffkyn, a member of a Sussex family, who had
recently received from the Crown the adjacent manor of
Langley. He, a few years after, sold it to Nathanael
Powell of Ewhurst, and he to Thomas Fludd, originally
of a Shropshire family, and already owner of Milgate in
the neighbouring parish of Bearsted, who had married
Catherine the daughter of Levyn Buffkyn. Thomas
Fludd rose to some eminence ; he was knighted, and,
conjointly with his father-in-law, represented Maidstone
in Parliament, in 1592, and again, in conjunction with
Sir John Leveson, in the years 1597 and 1601. His son
Thomas was sheriff for the county in 1652. Half a
century later, his great grandson, Peter Fludd, was
obliged to sell the property, and found a purchaser in
Bowyer Hendley, whose mother Priscilla was a daughter
of Thomas Fludd. Thus the two estates again became
united, and with them went the Advowson of the Rec-
tory.
William, the eldest son of Bowyer Hendley, succeeded
to the joint estates, but being pronounced by a Com-
1 Somerset House, Bodfelde, f. 25].
13-
184 OlfiAM CHURCB
mission of Lunacy incapable of managing his affairs, and
leaving no son, the property passed to his sister Anne,
who had married Samuel Home, the then Hector of the
parish. On the death of her grandson, William Home,
also Hector of Otham, without family, the estates passed
to the descendants of a younger daughter of William
Hendlev, Priscilla, who had married the Rev. Richard
Hammett, Rector of Clovelly in Devon ; their grand-
daughter, Elizabeth Morrison Hammett, married (in 1838)
John Townsend-Kirkwood, Esq., and to her, as sole sur-
viving descendant of William Hendley of Gore Court, the
estate passed, while the Advowson had been willed by
Mrs. Maria Home, the widow of Rev. W. Home (as will
appear in the account of the Rectors), to Magdalen
College, Oxford.
Another dwelling-house of considerable importance
and evident antiquity stands on a spur of the hill
running to the north boundary of the parish, known by
the name of " Stoneacre". In early charters of the
fourteenth century it appears as Stonekere, and in an old
map of 1779 it is called " Stonyker", of which the present
form may be a corruption. Tradition assigns to the
building a monastic origin, and identifies it with a
Premonstratentian Priory founded by ttadulphus de
Dene, in a place called Otham or Otteham ; and says
his daughter Ela, who married a Sackville, had it trans-
ferred to the larger Abbey of Beigham (now Bayham) in'
Sussex, on the complaint of the monks that the original
site was very unsuitecl and unhealthy (propter mag-
nas et intolerabiles inedias loci). The tradition may
find some support in the circumstance that just below
the brow of the hill on which the house stands the little
river Len widens into a small pond, which is supposed
to have been the "Monks' Bath", and also that the
Lord of the neighbouring Manor of Thornham (Johannes
de Thornham), who founded Cumbwell Priory, took
part in the foundation of that at Bayham. But while
the building, long since converted into a comfortable
picturesque farmhouse, retains traces ol having once
known rather better days, it suggests a domestic rather
than an ecclesiastical origin ; and a careful examination
AND PARISH. 185
of the original Charters shows that any such claim is
unfounded.1 h\ them mention is made of other lands
granted for the same purpose, which distinctly point to
the claim of the other Otham in Hailsham, Sussex, —
Seford (Seaford), Alvrecheston (Alfreiston), Dedington
(Denton), and other manors included in the grants, all
adjoin Hailsham. Moreover, there are seveal portions of
"marsh-land", conducing doubtless to its unheal thiness,
spoken of as belonging to the manors, from which the
Kentish Otham, rich in its hop gardens, is quite free.
Then, again, a chapel is mentioned as part of the founda-
tion ; and to this day the ruins of such a building are
to be found in Hailsham. Dugdale, in his account of
Bavham Abbey, makes no allusion to Otham in Kent;
and Borsfield, in his History of Sussex, places the
Otham of the old priory unhesitatingly in Hailsham.
So it seems clear that " Stoneacre" must forego all claim
to the old monastery, and the name of Ela de Sackville
in ust give place to that of Elys, whose family we know
lor many generations made a home here.
The most casual visitor can hardly fail to be struck
by the number of houses which clearly have some pre-
tension to byegone respectability, in what is called
" Otham Street" ; one turned into a blacksmith's forge,
others used as tenements for farm -labourers. Besides
the old Manor-house and Gore Court and Stoneacre
there are several buildings which retain evidence of
having at some time been the residences of gentry ; an
inference which is amply confirmed by entries in the
Church Registers, where occur the names of Morice, who
married a Hendley, of Lambe, no doubt connected with
the Sutton -Valence family to whom belonged the
founder of the Grammar School there, and the historic
Conduit in London which still retains his name, and of
Goldwells too, a family of good repute at Chart, who gave
a distinguished bishop to Norwich. Now every member
of these and other families is designated " generosus".
One family there is, as the Church Registers tell us,
which deserves more than passing notice. Here it
1 Dugrl ale's Monasticon, vi.
186 OTHAM CHURCH AND PARISH.
seems Dame Jam' Wyat,1 the widow of the zealous but
rash Sir Thomas Wyat the younger, who was beheaded
by Queen Mary, found a home, in which, with her son
George, she spent the last years of her life. What, it
mav be asked, brought her to Otham % The answer may
be found in the fact that her son George had married a
grand-daughter of Sir Thomas Moyle of Eastwell, a step-
daughter of the Lady Mode who had become the third
wife of Thomas Hendley, who then owned the manor of
Otham, and lived at Gore Court. Now each of them
must have had a local habitation as well as a name ; and
though it is scarcely possible now to assign to each, even
by conjecture, his own homestall, yet it is not without
interest to connect each with the little Kentish village.
One celebrity the parish may claim, though even that
is a somewhat doubtful one ; in a double sense doubtful,
both as to his connection with the parish, though the
name certainly suggests that, and also as to his repute.
Nicholas de Occam was a Franciscan friar, living in the
reigns of the First and Second Edwards. Anthony
a, Wood2 describes him, on the authority of Bale, as a
man of no mean order, "learned and beloved above his
contemporaries", a distinguished Reader of Divinity at
Oxford; while Shirley, in his preface to Fasciculi Zizani-
orum (p. xlviii), calls him "the glory and reproach of his
Order."
1 The following entries in the Church Registers show that Dame
Wyat and her son George lived in the parish, though tradition fails to
point out any particular house they occupied. Among the baptisms :
"1591, Feb. 27, Anne, d. of George Wyat, Esq. ; 1594, June 4, Hawte,
s.of George Wyat, Esq. ; 1596, Nov. 7, Henry, s. of George Wyat, Esq.;
1601, Dec. 27, George, s. of George Wyat, Esq." Among the burials
occurs that of, "1597, March 15, Madame Jane, the Lady of Thomas
Wyat, deceased, Knight."
- "Seculum suum variis scriptis decoravit. Franciscanorum non
modicus Doctor, imo prre aliis multis amatus." (I/ist. et Antiq. Univers.
Oxon., lib. i, p. 74.)
(procecMnge of tfyc (Qeeociation,
Wednesday, 20tii March, 1895.
E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer, in the Chair.
P. Chancellor, Esq., Chelmsford, was elected an Honorary Corre-
spondent.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to he returned to the respec-
tive donors of the following presents to the library :
To the Committee, for " Twelfth Annual Report of the Public
Museum of the City of Milwaukee, 1894".
To the Society, for "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries".
Second Series. Vol. xv, No. 2.
,, ,, for "Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architec-
tural and Archaeological Society." Vol. i, Pt. 1. 1894.
,, ,, for " Annuaire de la Societe d'Archeologie de Brux-
elles." Tome Sixieme.
The following notes of recent discoveries were read :
FINDS IN AN AMERICAN TUMULUS.
BY DR. A. C. FRYER.
An hour's ride south of San Francisco, and some four miles east of
Stanford University, is a pear-shaped mound of earth. The mound
lies with its longer axis north and south, and measures 470 feet in
length by 320 in width, and has an area of about two acres. This
mound has now been examined with considerable care. It is stated
that on the first day's excavation three skeletons, a number of pointed
bone implements, and two large stone mortars, such as are used by
the Indians for grinding corn, were discovered. One of these
skeletons, we are informed, is apparently that of an old man who had
been a sufferer from a terrible deformity. With the exception of the
second joint in the neck there was a complete ossification of all the
joints of the spinal column, and the spine was curved forward from
the first lumbar, so that this unfortunate man could never have seen
188 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
the sky unless his friends had placed him on his back. The report
states that the larger bone of his left forearm had been broken at some
period during his life and had been reset with considerable skill. The
bones were found on a bed of ashes, and were partially burnt. Not
far from these bones a large stone mortar and a clam-shell were
discovered. Large quantities of burnt shells of the bay oyster and
crab were unearthed, as well as the bones of skunk, deer and elk.
According to the report some twenty skeletons were discovered.
They were of persons of various ages. The owner of more than one had
met his death in a violent manner, and a bone spear-head was found
imbedded two inches in one skull. This skull had belonged to a
child under fourteen years of age. Those who have examined the
skulls state that they belong to a race of small intelligence. A few
shell ornaments, perforated disks, and pendants showing rude efforts
at ornamentation were found.
It has been ascertained that when the whites first settled the
country there was an Indian village near this mound. It has been
pointed out, however, that this would not necessarily indicate any
connection between the Indians and the pre-historic people buried in
the mound.
A paper was then read, entitled " Researches and Excavations in
Argolis and other Parts of Greece." By J. S. Phene, Esq., F.S.A.,
LL.D., etc. This was illustrated with a large series of diagrams and
drawings. A collection of specimens of ancient pottery, much of
which was of archaic date, and some specimens of Greek glass and
bronze were exhibited. It is hoped that it will be printed in a future
part of the Journal.
At the close of the lecture a discussion ensued, in which Professor
Rupert Jones, Messrs. Lloyd, Wright, Taylor, and the Chairman
took part.
"Wednesday, 3rd April, 1895.
C. H. Compton, Esq., Y.P., in the Chair.
A paper was read by Mr. E. P. L. Brock, F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer,
entitled " The Excavation of a Roman Villa in the Wadfield, near
Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire", which it is hoped will be printed
hereafter in the Journal.
At the conclusion of the reading, the Chairman moved, and it was
unanimously agreed, that a vote of thanks be tendered to JNlrs. Dent
for her liberality and public spirit in furthering the cause of Archae-
ology by undertaking the cost of these excavations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 189
Wednesday, 17th April, 1895.
E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq., F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer, in the Chair.
Wm. Pound, Esq., Martell House, Martell Road, West Duhvicli, was
duly elected a member of the Association.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to be returned to the respective
donors of the following presents to the library :
To the Society, for " Arch apologia Cambrensis." Fifth series. No. 4G.
„ „ for " Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquarians of
Ireland." Part 1. Vol. v.
To the Editor, for " The Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist."
Vol 1. No. 2.
To the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, for " The Abbey of St. Edmund
at Bury." By M. R. James, Esq., 1895. "Proceedings of the
Camb. Antiq. Soc", No. xxxvi.
To the Society, for " Bulletin Historique de la Societe de la Morinie,"
169, 170. Lion.
To the Smithsonian Institution, for " Annual Report of the Board of
Regents," July, 1893.
Mrs. Dent of Sudeley Castle sent for exhibition a careful rubbing of
a Spanish tile from a church in Cordova, bearing the arms of the
Conde de Cabra, the captor of the famous Boabclil, the last of the
Moorish kings, at the battle of Lucena, for which service King
Ferdinand bestowed many honours upon the Count, and amongst
others the right for himself and his descendants to bear as his arms a
Moor's head crowned, with a gold chain around the neck, in a sanguine
field, and with twenty banners bordering the escutcheon. These are
most distinctly visible in the rubbing of the tile exhibited. This lady
also submitted a large number of illustrations of encaustic tiles found
at Hailes Abbey, now preserved in a pavement at Southram, others
from Hailes Church, the parish church at Winchcombe, and from the
ruins of Winchcombe Abbey, some being of the thirteenth, but the
majority of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Mr. R. Earle Way exhibited some examples of Roman pottery
found in High Street, Southwark, on the site of the "Blue-eyed Maid"
publichouse, now being rebuilt. One was a portion of a mortarium
bearing the word tuce m, another, a piece of Samian ware, with the
words of passie M in a circular label. He also exhibited a little book
printed at Exeter in 1045, entitled "Good Thoughts for Bad Times",
by Thos. Fuller, D.D., and a second volume "Good Thoughts for Worse
] 90 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
Times", by the same author, printed in London in 1652; the two
volumes in one.
Mr. (i. Patrick, Hon. Secretary, exhibited some fine examples of
ancient chest keys, one of Norman date found many years since at
Birchington in Thanet ; another, of sixteenth century Italian design,
was much admired. He also exhibited a very beautiful gold medal,
apparently the badge of some foreign religious order, bearing on one
side, in high relief, the head of the Saviour crowned with thorns, and
on the other side the head of the Virgin ; the chasing beautifully
executed, and seemingly of French design and workmanship.
A paper was then read by Rev. H. Cart, MA., " On a Recent Visit
to Carthage," which will it is hoped find a place hereafter in the
Journal.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
WEDNESDAY, 1st MAY 1895.
Dr. J. S. Phene, LL.D., and afterwards E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq.,
F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer, in the Chair.
The Chairman announced the ballot for the officers to be open, and
appointed Mr. Compton and Mr. Hughes to be scrutineers.
Mr. E. P. L. Brock, F.S.A., read the following letter:
" Stoke-upon-Trent, Ap. 30, 1S95.
" Dear Sir, — At a meeting of my Council, held on the 25th inst.. a
resolution was unanimously passed that an invitation be issued to the
British Archaeological Association to hold their Congress for 1895 at
Stoke-upon-Trent, and that the Association be allowed the use of the
Council Chamber for evening meetings during the week commencing
12th August next, and I was instructed to pass on such invitation to
you as Treasurer of the Association.
" His Worship the Mayor, in addition, asks me to say that he will be
pleased to receive the members of the Association on the evening of
.Monday, at the Town Hall, or any other evening agreeable to them.
" I propose, with his Worship and Mr. Charles Lynam to carry out
the necessary details of such meeting, etc.
"I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully,
" Jno. B. AsnwELL, Town Clerk."
This courteous invitation was unanimously adopted, and a vote of
thanks rendered to the Town Council of Stoke-upon-Trent.
Mr. Rayson then read the Balance Sheet.
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L92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
The Treasurer then read the
Treasurer's Report.
" The Balance Sheet now laid on the table is a document which will
require careful attention at our hands. It shows the financial position
of the Association up to the close of the financial year 1894 ; and
while there is much in it to encourage us all in our work in behalf of
archaeological science, there are some elements that render a note of
warning culling for our careful attention. Let us consider this aote
of warning first. The Balance Sheet indicates that the income of the
Association during the past year has been £31 12s. 9g?. less than
during 1893. It is occasioned by the proceeds of the Manchester
Congress, ,£53 14s. 6(7., being less than the congress of the previous
year at Winchester.
"There is a falling off' in the sales of the publications of the Asso-
ciation, which, in 1893, was £27 8s. 8d., and in 1894 only £19 8s. §d.
The income from all sources has been £457 14s. 4c/., and the Balance
Sheet shows that, after providing for all liabilities to date, including
the printing account then due, £91 6s. 9c/., the present financial year
1895 was commenced with a surplus of £50 16s. 10c?. in favour of the
Association.
" The amount deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank, £51 18s. 6d.,
is included in the above statement.
" These figures indicate that the rule of recent years must rigidly be
adhered to, namely, for our expenditure to be regulated strictly by
our income, and for no one year's outlay to be at the expense of the
following one. This is a safe rule, and its adherence will surely bring
its reward. It is a proper rule ; for since we are but custodians of
the income it would obviously be unfair to cause the outlay of a
greater amount than had been received.
"Hove\rer, the Journal of the past year, the closing volume of a
long series of fifty, is, like its predecessors, a goodly monument of the
labours of the Association, and it is a fair subject of congratulation to
think that, with so modest an amount of income, so much has been
accomplished. The working expenses being so small, and as a rule
more than defrayed by the proceeds of the various congresses, the bulk
of 1 he income is available for the Journal, and the subscriptions of the
associates are returned to them by its delivery. It is a matter of
gratification to find that the income derived from the subscriptions,
the most important item of our revenue, does not show a falling off
but rather a small increase. "While the subscriptions and entrance
fee in 1893 were £'208 19s., in 1894 they were £214 4s. The
PROCEEDINGS OE THE ASSOCIATION. 193
Council, however, has to deplore the deaths of several associates and
supporters, among whom may be named Mr. Ewan Christian, the
eminent surveyor of the Ecclesiastical Commission; Mr. Cokayne,
our local member of Council for Derbyshire j our old friend, Mr. Gordon
Hills, who for many years held the office of Honorary Treasurer, died
on the 5th April, and a memoir, written by his son, will find a fitting
place in our. Journal, in recognition of many years of valued service.
" While we deplore these losses we are glad to welcome several
accessions to our numbers.
"The following associates have been elected since the last annual
meeting: — Messrs. J. G. Holmes, Charles Evans, Frank George,
Stewart V. Wells, F. J. Horniman, -Arthur S. Flower, M.A., Mrs.
Charles Lambert, Mrs. Lambert, Wm. Pound.
" The Boston Public Library, Mass.
" The Hull Public Library.
" It is a matter of gratification to note the increasing number of
public institutions on the roll of the associates, in whose establish-
ments our journals will be capable of being inspected by the public.
"In addition the following honorary corresponding members have
been elected : — Messrs. R. Quick, R. C. Macdonald, J. H. Nicholson,
M.A. ; G. C. Yates, F.S.A. ; Dr. Colley Marsh, F.S.A.; W. Salt
Brassington, F.S.A. ; and Miss Edith Bradley.
"While it has been my duty to begin with a note of warning, it is
gratifying to conclude with reference to what has been accomplished
with such slender means. For the future let our efforts be not only
to maintain our standard but to increase it. This can be done by an
enlarged co-operation. We are associated together for one special
purpose. Let us endeavour to increase the numbers of our supporters,
not alone for the purposes of obtaining augmented funds, which will
enable us to do more for Archaeology, but by the obtaining of informa-
tion of a larger number of antiquarian discoveries, by the preparation of
papers, and by the exhibition of more objects at the evening meetings.
"The first part of the new series of the Journal is before us, graced
with its new wrapper, designed by Mr. Allan Wyon, F.S.A., whose
state of health prevents his being present with us to-day. This part
is a sample of a still higher standard, which I hope we shall be able to
maintain and even to extend during the year.
" The arrangements for the Congress at Stoke-on-Trent are now
being actively prosecuted, and, so far as can be judged by present
appearances, it promises to be a meeting of special interest. The
co-operation of all our members is invited to render the Congress a
success."
194 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
The Report was unanimously adopted.
The thanks of the meeting were unanimously tendered to the
Auditors for their services.
Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S.A., Hon. Sec, read the
Secretaries' Report for the Year 1894-5.
"The Hon. Secretaries have the honour of laying before the
associates of the British Archaeological Association, at the Annual
Meeting held this day, the customary Report of the Secretaries on the
state of the Association during the year 1894-5.
"1. During the past year a considerable number of works have been
presented to the library. The action of the Library Sub-committee
will determine, or has determined, the future of this property of the
Association.
" 2. Thirty -seven of the more important papers which were read at the
recent Congress held at Winchester, and during the progress of the
session held in London, have been printed in the Journal for 1894,
which is illustrated with thirty-six plates and wood-cuts, some of
which have been wholly or in part contributed to the Association by
the liberality of friends and associates, to whom grateful recognition
is due in this behalf.
" 3. The addition of the copious Index of Archceological Papers, to
which reference was especially made at the Annual Meeting last year,
has proved attractive and useful.
" 4. The Hon. Secretaries are glad to say that while they have in hand
a fair amount of papers which relate to the Manchester Congress of
1894, and other papers read in London, which have been accepted by
the Council or by the Editor for publication and illustration in the
Journal, as circumstances may permit, nevertheless they desire it to
be more generally known that authors should transmit their papers
and drawings to the Editor as soon as convenient after being submitted
to the Association, in view of their publication in due course.
" W. de Gray Birch, )
"G.Patrick. ) Hon. Sees.
Mr. Brock proposed a vote of thanks to the Hon. Secretaries for
their services. Carried unanimonsly.
Mr. C. H. Compton proposed the following additions and alterations
to the rules, which were agreed to.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 195
"(a). That in Rule 2 of Chairman of Meetings the words 'in his
absence,' in the second line of the printed rules, be struck out.
"(b). That the first live lines of Rule 1 of the Proceedings of the
Association to the end of the word 'June' shall he repealed, and in
lieu thereof the following words shall be substituted : — 'The ordinary
meetings of the Association shall be held on the first and third Wed-
nesdays in November, the first Wednesday in December, the third
Wednesday in January, the first and third Wednesdays in the months
from February to April inclusive, the third Wednesday in May, and
the first Wednesday in June'."
The usual time having expired, the Chairman closed the ballot, and
the scrutators delivered the result as follows : —
President.
Vice-Presidents.
/','.-: officio — The Duke of Norfolk, K.G., E.M.; The Marquess of Bute,
K.T.; The Marquess of Ripon, K.G., G.C.S.I.; The Earl of IIard-
wicke; The Earl of Mount-Educumbe ; The Earl Nelson; The
Earl of Northbrook, G.C.S.I.; The Earl of Winchilsea and Not-
tingham ; The Loud Bishop of Ely ; The Lord Bishop of St.
David's ; The Lord Bishop of Llandaff ; Sir Charles H. Rouse
Bougiiton, Bart.; James Heywood, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A.
Rkv.S. M. .Mayhe\v,M. A., F.S.A. Scot.,
F.R.I. A.
J. S. Phene, Esq., LL.D., F.S.A.,
Colonel G. G. Adams, F.S.A.
Thomas Blashill, Esq., F.Z.S.
Cecil Brent, Esq., F.S.A.
Arthur Cates, Esq. F.G.S., F.K.G.S.
C. H. Compton, Esq. | Rev.W. Sparrow Simpson, D.D., F.S.A.
William Henry Cope, Esq., F.S.A. E. M. Thompson, Esq., C.B., F.S.A.,
II. Syer Cuming, Esq., F.S. A.Scot. D.C.L., LL.D.
Sir John Evans, K.C.B., D.C.L., Sir Albert Woods, K.C.M.G., F.S.A
F.R.S., F.S.A. (Garter King of Arms).
Sir A. Wollaston Franks, K.C.B., Allan Wyon, Esq., F.S. A., F.S.A. Scot.,
D. Lite, F.R.S, P.S.A. | F.R.G.S.
Geo. Lambert, Esq., F.S.A.
Honorary Treasurer.
E. P. Loftus Brock, Esq., F.S.A.
Sub-Treasurer.
Samuel Rayson, Esq.
Honorary Secretaries.
Walter de Gray Birch, Esq., F.S.A.
George Patrick, Esq.
Palaeographer.
E. Maunde Thompson, Esq.,C.B., F.S.A., D.C.L., LL.D.
196 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
Council.
A. G. Langdon, Esq.
Richard Lloyd, Esq.
J. T. Mould, Esq.
W. J. Nichols, Esq.
A. Olivek, Esq.
\Y. II. Rylands, Esq., F.S.A.
R. E. Way. Esq.
Benjamin Winstone, Esy.. M.D.
J. Komilly Allen, Esq., F.S.A. Scot.,
A.I.C E.
Algernon Brent, Esq., F.R.G.S.
Rev. J. Oave-Browne, .M.A.
A. S. Flower, Esq., M.A.
J. Park Harrison, Esq., .M.A.
Richard Horsfall, Esq.
\\ . E. Hughes, Esq.
Auditors.
C. Davis, Esq. | C. J. Williams, Esq.
A unanimous vote of thanks was accorded to the scrutators.
The lists of Honorary and Foreign Correspondents were adopted
unanimously.
Azotes of thanks were unanimously tendered to Mr. E. P. Loftus
Brock, Hon. Treasurer, and Mr. S. Rayson, Sub-Treasurer, for their
services.
The proceedings then closed.
Wednesday, 15th May, 1895.
Rev. J. Oave-Browne, ALA., in the Chair.
His Grace the Duke of Sutherland was unanimously elected Presi-
dent for the forthcoming Congress and Session.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to he returned to the respective
donors of the following presents to the library : —
To the Smithsonian Institution, for Eleventh and Twelfth Annual
Reports, 1889-90, 1890-1. Washington.
,, ,, for "Dakota Grammar. Text," etc. By S. R. Riggs.
Washington, 1893.
,, ,, for "Smithsonian Geographical Tables." Prepared
by R. S. Woodward. Washington, 1894.
,, ,, for "Index to the Literature of Didymium, 1842-
1893." By A. C. Langemuir, Ph.D.
„ „ for " List of Publications of the Bureau of Ethnology."
By F. W. Hodge. 1894.
, ,, for " An Ancient Quarry in Indian Territory." By
W. II. Holmes. 1894.
,, ,, for "Bibliography of Acetic Ester and its Deriva-
tions." By P. H. Seymour. 1894.
']'■> the Society, for " Annales de la Societe d' Archeologie de Bruxelles."
Tome ixieine. 1 Av. 1895.
To the Author, for "Discovery of Whitty's Wall at Jerusalem." By
Rev. J. I. Whitty, LL.D. 1895.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 197
Miss Bradley exhibited a few remains and relics from the prehis-
toric village or lake-dwelling ; pieces of posts for hut-making, and other
objects, in illustration of her paper.
Mr. 0. Davis exhibited an allium of illustrations of "Brasses of
Gloucestershire", upon which he is engaged in writing a treatise.
Miss Bradley read a paper entitled "The Abbey of Glastonbury",
and exhibited a collection of photographs, drawings, plans, and
engravings of the Abbey, the Chapel of St. Joseph, etc.
In the discussion which ensued Mr. Barrett, Mr. Rayson, Mr.
Patrick, and others took part.
A cordial and unanimous vote of thanks to the authors.
Wednesday, 5 June 1895.
C. H. Compton, Esq., V.P., in the Chair.
Mr. W. de Cray Birch, F.S.A., Hon. Sec, gave an account of the
proposed Congress at Stoke-on-Trent, and requested those who wish to
read papers before the members at evening meetings to communicate
with him without delay.
Mr. R. E. Way exhibited two detached leaves from a Missal of the thir-
teenth century, nicely written and illuminated ; a small porcelain bead,
and pscudo-Samian dish, found on the site of "The Blue-Eyed Maid."
Mr. Birch exhibited a collection of casts of mediaeval seals.
Mr. G. Patrick, Hon. Sec, exhibited, on behalf of Rev. C. V. Collier,
B.A., F.S.A., a box-ticket for admission to witness the trial of Lord
Lovat, indicted for high treason.
Mrs. Dent, of Sudeley, sent for exhibition a further collection of
coloured plates of mediaeval tiles from Stanton Church, Sudeley Castle,
and Winchcombe Abbey, in continuation of her former exhibition of
some similar illustrations.
Mr. Walter Money, F.S.A., of Newbury, sent a paper entitled "A
Walk to Shirburn Castle." It was accompanied with a drawing of a
Roman cipptis of great beauty. It is hoped that the paper (which
was read by Mr. Birch in the unavoidable absence of the author) will
be printed hereafter in the Journal.
Mr. J. T. Irvine sent a paper entitled " Notes on some Churches in
Northamptonshire", with a drawing of a capital in Wakerley Church,
on which is carved a representation of the Church of St. Sophia at
Constantinople. This, it is hoped, will be printed and illustrated in
the Journal hereafter.
Mr. Barrett read a paper on "Castor Castle and Sir John Fastolf,
K.G.", which was illustrated with a considerable number of drawings
and views. This paper will be printed in the Jour, ml.
]S9." 1 i
OBiiuarj.
Mr. G. M. Hills.
Gordon Macdoxald Hills, the eldest surviving son of the late Captain
John Hills, R.N., was born at Pegwell Bay, Kent, July 5th, 1826.
The greater part of his boyhood was passed at Lancing in Sussex,
where his father was stationed on the blockade service. He was
preparing for a commission in the Marine Artillery, but, the expected
presentation failing, an opportunity occurred of placing him with a
firm of architects, and he was articled to Messrs. Elliott and Blake of
Southampton. Thence, after three years, he passed to the office of
Mr. Butler of Chichester, who held the post of Cathedral Architect.
At Chichester, during the progress of the works carried out under
Mr. Butler, Mr. Hills commenced a connection with the cathedral
which lasted till his death. In 1850 Mr. Hills entered the office of
Mr. R. C. Carpenter as managing assistant, and continued in that
employment until about four years later he entered upon practice on
his own account. At the time when the fall of the cathedral spire was
imminent at Chichester, Mr. Hills acted for Mr. Slater, Mr. Carpenter's
surviving partner, who was then cathedral architect, and superintended
the efforts which were made up to the last moment to avert the
catastrophe by the use of shoring, but it proved of no avail, and
Mr. Hills was the last person within the building before the fall, and
was a witness of the actual collapse. By desire of Mr. George Godwin,
Mr. Hills wrote the account of the fall of Chichester Spire which
appeared in the Builder. After Mr. Slater's death the cathedral
authorities appointed Mr. Hills Surveyor of the Cathedral.
In 1871, owing to the Act passed for the Regulation of Procedure
as to Ecclesiastical Dilapidations, diocesan surveyors were appointed,
and Mr. Hills was successful in his candidature for appointments in
the dioceses of London and Rochester. When afterwards a portion of
Rochester diocese was made part of the new diocese of St. Albans,
Mr. Hills continued his appointments under the altered circumstances
in the three dioceses. Mr. Hills conducted a considerable professional
practice, chiefly concerned with ecclesiastical buildings, churches,
OBITUARY. 199
parsonages, and schools, amongst these the principal works are the
Cambridge Conduit, St. Saviour's Church, Everton, and All Saints',
Princes Park, Liverpool ; Holy Trinity, Slienna, Malta ; Pinmore
Church, Ayrshire ; additions and restoration at the Cloisters at
Chichester and some thirty Sussex churches, including Amberley,
Clymping, Colgate, Eist Dean, Lyminster, Pulborough, Washington,
and Wiston, and at various churches throughout England, those best
known being Buckland, Herts ; Croston, Lancashire ; Folkton and
Henmanby, Yorkshire ; Headcorn, Leeds, and Brocmfield in Kent •
Packwoocl, Warwickshire ; Rushden, Northants ; making in all over
seventy churches built and restored, besides vicarages, schools, and
gentlemen's houses.
Mr. Hills' interest in antiquarian and ecclesiological research led
him to undertake and achieve the task of actually visiting all the
remains of the Ancient Round Towers of Ireland. In 1858 he read
a paper on this subject before the Royal Institute of British Architects,
and became an Associate of that body on the proposal of Professor
Donaldson, seconded by Mr. George Godwin.
Mr. Hills became a Member of the British Archaeological Association,
and first attended a Congress on the occasion of that held at Salisbury
in 1858. In 1864 Mr. Hills married the youngest daughter of Mr.
T. J. Pettigrew, F.R.S., F.S.A., F.R.C.S., one of the founders of the
British Archaeological Association, and, on his death, succeeded him in
the office of Hon. Treasurer, taking a leading part in the management
of the Association for many years. It was in connection with these
societies that Mr. Hills made many contributions to antiquarian
literature in the form of papers, amongst which are essays on Acoustic
Vases, the Measurements of Ptolemy, the Cathedrals of Chichester,
Durham and Hereford, Irish and Saxon Architecture, Eord,
Build was, and Fountains Abbeys, and other monastic remains.
Mr. Hills leaves valuable memoranda of his researches and the labour
of many years, part of which, in the form of some of his notes on
Chichester Cathedral are almost ready for publication.
During the last few years his health has been failing, and the
illness which has now terminated fatally first gave serious warning in
July 1891, after a long day spent at Chichester Cathedral. Mr. Hills
was then advised that unless he abstained from active exertion until
his health was established, another attack might follow with serious
results ; and he took into partnership his eldest son, who was able to
relieve him of the active work of the firm.
Recently his health appeared so much improved that his friends
hoped there were still some years before him in which he might see
200 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
the completion of the restoration of Chichester Cathedral which had
been entrusted to him. At the end of March the final illness began,
from which time he sank gradually, until on April 5th he passed
away without pain. I Lis widow survives and two sons.
(gnftcjuarian Jnfef%ence.
Eighteen Years Work in a Yorkshire Parish. — This is the title of a
pamphlet written by the Rev. Newton Manx, M.A., F.S.A., Vicar of
11 endon, giving an account of the Church work in the Parish of
Helmsley, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in which parish is situate
what still remains of the beautiful Abbey of Rievaulx, the first
Cistercian Monastery in the North of England, which was founded by
Walter Espec, one of the heroes of the Battle of the Standard.
A historical sketch of this abbey was read at our York Congress in
1891, and is printed in the forty-eighth volume of our Journal.
It is specially interesting to trace from the early period in the
twelfth century, Avhen St. Bernard first came from his monastery at
Citeaux and accepted from Walter Espec the lands of Griff and
Tilestona for the construction of the abbey, which he afterwards built
in Blackamour, in the valley of the Rie, described by William
of Newburgh as "a horrid and vast solitude", to the time when that
beautiful church and the accompanying buildings w^ere completed by
the piety and energy of the monastic fraternity, and the gospel of
man's salvation, with civilisation in its train, converted desolation
into prosperity, and the voice of joy and gladness echoed through the
waste places of the land. And it is a valuable tribute to the con-
tinuity of the Anglican Church to find that .the motives which
actuated the early missionaries of Christianity have not only survived
those institutions which, having done their work, have given place to
a truer freedom and more advanced intelligence, but have gained fresh
life and vigour to cope with the ever-increasing needs of humanity in
their search after truth. It is this we find exemplified in Mr. Mant's
interesting account of the Vicar of Ilelmslcy's devotion to the relief
of the spiritual wants of his remote and scattered parish — wants which
cannot be wholly supplied from within, but must be largely supple-
mented from without. The good progress which has already been
made is an earnest of what should follow. Notwithstanding much
which has been done, there is still much which reminds us of the old
ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE. 201
description of Blaekamore — the Solitude — though no longer vast or
horrible.
There is one of the many schemes of the Vicar which commends
itself specially to the arclueologist, we allude to the repair of the
Canon's Garth, close to Helmsley Church, and fitting it up for the use
of the two Sisters of Mercy who minister in the parish. The Canon's
Garth is an old half-timbered house where the Austin Canons lived
who came from the Priory of Kirkham, the first of Walter Espec's
foundations, to serve Helmsley. The ancient charters of Rievaulx
speak of negotiations which went on between the two houses, having
for its object the incorporation of the Canons with the Cistercian
monastery, but these negotiations fell through, and each institution
pursued its own course until the dissolution. It would be a graceful
act to preserve this relic of the old foundations, and utilise it for the
purposes for which it was originally erected.
Analecta Eboracensia, or Some Remaynes of the Ancient City of York.
Collected by a Citizen of York (Sir Thomas Widdrington, Knt.,
Barrister of Gray's Inn ; Recorder of York ; Commissioner for the
Great Seal ; and Speaker of the House of Commons), will shortly be
edited by the Rev. Cesar Caine, F. R.G.S., Author of The Martial
Annals of the City of York, of which we have given a notice in this
Journal. It will contain many Illustrations from Old and Unpublished
Drawings, MSS., and Modern Photographs. The volume will be
issued only to subscribers at One Guinea, net. Names should be
sent to Mr. Chas. J. Clark, 4, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.
This collection of Sir Thomas Widdrington was the first attempt to
compile the history of York (about 1650). Quaint old Fuller, English
Worthies (1662), expressed the hope that this work would be published
before the death of the learned author. But thirty years after the
death of Sir Thomas, Bishop Gibson, in his edition of Camden's
Britannia (1695), lamented that this history of York was still in
manuscript. Drake, the great historian of the city (1736), utilised
the MS. of Sir Thomas, giving short selections from it, but urged that
the work ought to have a separate existence. He also wrote the
following certificate in the MS. : — ■
"This Manuscript was the work of Sir Thomas Widdrington, Knt.,
And, as I apprehend, for several reasons which I have given in the
Preface to my Eboracvm, is the original.
" Francis Drake, August 11, 1736."
The publication of this work was rendered difficult, for Sir Thomas
202 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
had interdicted the publication of the book because of a misunder-
standing between himself and the city. Noble, Protectorcd House of
Cromwell (1787), is enth'ely mistaken when he says that Widdrington
published his Analecta Eboracensia in 16G0. No difficulty now stands
in the way of the publication of this valuable MS. Of late years the
original MS. has become the property of the nation. Active arrange-
ments are therefore being made for the publication of the work in a
form which will be a suitable memorial of the industry of the learned
author. It is not too much to say that, apart from the intrinsic merits
of this work, it will prove in many respects one of the most unique
publications in the long list of Yorkshire Topographical books.
Our Associate Mr. A. G. Lanodon announces an early publication
of his Old Cornish Crosses, with thirty-two plates and numerous
smaller illustrations in the text, showing upwards of 320 examples,
with descriptive letterpress. This will be handsomely printed in a
large type on fine paper, bound in cloth extra ; published price, 30s.
net ; offered to subscribers at 25s. net. There is also a Special Large-
Paper Edition, royal 4to., printed on superfine hand-made paper,
limited to fifty copies for sale, each numbered and signed by the
author, price to subscribers, 50s. net.
The Crosses of Cornwall have attracted the attention of professed
archaeologists because of the great number which have survived the
ravages of time, and because of their peculiar shape and venerable
appearance, it being impossible to go many miles in Cornwall, or enter
a churchyard, without being compelled to notice monuments so different
from those to be seen elsewhere. To a Cornishman the hoary, lichen-
covered granite cross has been a familiar enough sight from his earliest
childhood, nor is it less dear to him on this account. In the eyes of
the peasantry, and even to a great extent in those of educated people, a
certain amount of mystery has always surrounded these relics of the
early Celtic Church. And although so little was absolutely known of
their origin or significance, they claimed respect chiefly on account of
their obvious antiquity and the veneration attaching to them as being
memorials set up by the first Christian missionaries from Gaul to
mark the progress of the new religion in what was then a pagan land.
The publication in 1858 of Mr. J. T. Blight's Ancient Crosses and
Antiquities of Cornwall, illustrating about 120 examples, did much to
dispel the ignorance with which the whole subject was surrounded,
and indirectly showed the real relation of the Cornish crosses to those
of a similar period in other parts of Celtic Britain. But since it was
published a large number of other crosses have been brought to light
ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE. 203
in the course of church restoration and in other ways. The progress
of archaeological science has also made many of his theories, however
admirable they may have been in the light of the knowledge of thirty
or forty years ago, now quite out of date. No apology, therefore, ia
needed in announcing that a new work, entitled Old Cornish Crosses,
is about to be brought out by Mr. Arthur G. Langdon, who has
devoted many years to making a complete series of measured drawings
of the monuments in question. By means of improved methods of
taking rubbings, and with a knowledge of the ornament of Hiberno-
Saxon MSS., it has been possible to represent correctly all the patterns
which occur on the decorated crosses, a work never before attempted.
Many inscriptions also are now given accurately for the first time.
It is proposed that the volume shall be quarto size (10J in. x 8 in.
x 2 in.), of about 400 pages, with illustrations of the crosses to a
uniform scale of half an inch to the foot, equivalent to one-twenty-
fourth real size, and with accompanying descriptive letterpress dealing
with the whole of the Cornish crosses at present known. The
monuments will be classified so as to show their development from the
rude pillar with a simple cross devoid of sculpture to the elaborately-
decorated specimens of the later period. The number of crosses con-
tained in the present work amounts to about 320. Such an under-
taking as this should commend itself to everyone interested in the
antiquities of Cornwall, as well as to ecclesiologists and students of
Christian art generally. As only a limited number will be printed,
subscribers should forward their names at once to the publisher,
Mr. Joseph Pollard, 5 St. Nicholas Street, Truro.
In the Gloucestershire Notes and Queries, edited by W. P. W.
Piiillimore, M.A.. B.C.L. (124, Chancery Lane, London), now in its
sixth volume, Mr. Cecil T. Davis is publishing, as a separately paged
supplement, a series of illustrated articles on " The Monumental
Brasses of Gloucestershire." Each brass is described in detail under
the following headings :— (1) An abstract of the record of the
brass from the Manual of Monumental B?,asses, by the Eev. H. Haines,
M.A., part ii, 1861. (2) The position of the brass in the church.
(3) Its size. (4) A description of the figure, etc. (5) The inscrip-
tion, with a translation of those in Latin. (6) The tricking of any
shields or coat armour. (7) The titles of works in which engravings
of the brass are extant. (8) What portions, if any, of the brass are
lost. (9) A brief memoir, when possible, of the person commemorated.
The brasses will be described, as far as possible, in chronological order,
following the data given by the Rev. H. Haines.
204 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
It is hoped to give illustrations of interesting details, including the
heraldry also of portions which have now disappeared. The brasses
left in this county number over eighty, which include such well-
known examples as Lord Berkeley, 1392, at Wotton-under-Edge ;
Richard Dixton, 1438, at Cirencester. The series ranges from c. 1370
to 1636.
Peterborough Cathedral. — At a meeting of the Peterborough Cathe-
dral Restoration Committee, on the 28th May last, an alarming Report
was presented by Mr. J. L. Pearson, R.A., as to the state of the west
front. Mr. Pearson expressed surprise that it resisted the recent
storm, and it is absolutely necessary that its repair should be under-
taken at once if its various features are to be preserved. The two
main piers, he finds, lean over 2 ft. or more, and insecurity is manifest
in many places. As a precaution against accidents, the architect sug-
gests that the northernmost archway should be fenced off.
"^^^
Gauntlets, 1392, Wotton-under-Edge.
Lion, 1400, Deerhurst.
Dog, c. 1400, Northleach.
DETAILS OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE BRASSES.
<&&!%<
T I J E JOURNAL
Brittef) (3rcf)acolocjtcal ftssoctatum.
SEPTEMBER 1895.
GLASTONBURY ABBEY.
BY MISS EDITH BRADLEY.
{Read 15th May 1895.)
HERE is, perhaps, no place in the world,
certainly no spot in England, worthy of
being regarded with such interest and
affection by English men and women as
Glastonbury, the "Island Valley of Aval-
Ion." Whether we allow our imagination
to wander back to the far-away dawn of
the Christian era, and believe that it was St. Joseph of
Arimathea who brought the Gospel message to our land,
and built the first Christian church on the site of that
glorious Abbey which for ten centuries was the pride and
admiration of the nation, or whether we keep within the
strict limits of history, Glastonbury is still unique, being,
as Mr. Freeman points out, " the one church of the first
rank in England which stood as a memorial of British
day, the only one which had lived unscathed through
the storm of English conquest, and which received equal
reverence from the conquerors and from the conquered.
At Canterbury, and York, and London, there is no
historic tie between the vanished church of the Briton
1895 15
206 GLASTONBURY A.BBEY.
and the church of the Englishman which still abides. A
black mass of heathendom parts off the one from the
other by an impassable gulf. At Glastonbury it was not
so. There the old British sanctuary lived on under
English rule, and fell only at the hands of destroyers of
baser mould in days which, by comparison, seem as yes-
terday. Glastonbury", says the same writer, "in its
ruined state, still keeps a charm which does not belong
to the mother church at Canterbury or to the royal
Abbey at Westminster."
To "return, however, to St. Joseph. What foundation
is there for the belief in his visit to our shores ? Briefly
tin's. We know that soon after the Resurrection the
number of Our Lord's disciples increased daily, to the
alarm and hatred of the high priests. St. Stephen s
martyrdom was the commencement of a persecution which
expelled the votaries of the new religion from Jerusalem,
and scattered them over the Roman empire. According
to Freculphus, St. Philip went to the land of the
Franks. Meeting with great success in implanting the
new religion, and wishing to publish the Gospel still
further, in obedience to the divine command, he sent
twelve disciples, with St. Joseph as their leader, to
Britain.
They landed in Wales, according to the Sanctus Graal
(a Welsh authority), but were put into prison by the
King of that province; being released, they sailed up the
Bristol Channel in wattle-boats until they reached a cer-
tain island surrounded by marshes, called Avalonia. This
was afterwards granted to them by King Arviragus, and
here they built a rude oratory of wicker-wands twisted
together, with a sloping roof of straw and rushes, 60 ft.
long and 20 wide, — the first Christian church in the
kingdom !
The disciples themselves lived in huts and caves, and
spent their time in prayer and preaching. Satisfied with
the goodness of their lives, Arviragus, though a heathen,
gave each one a hide of land, wet, marshy, and appa-
rently useless ; and from this first grant may be traced
the great revenues of our English Church : and thus, to
quote O'Dell Hill, "the Cioss was planted, the Church
GLASTONBURY ABBEY. 207
was founded ; and when, five centuries later, St. Augus-
tine came to England, be found on the Isle of Avallon,
at Glastonbury, a compact, renowned body of Christians
dwelling there, active and prosperous." This we know-
to be the case, because Pope Gregory tells Augustine to
treat these British bishops well, and to behave to them
with that brotherly love which was the glorious distinc-
tion of the early Church.
It would take too long to trace the growth of this
Christian colony in the troublous times of our early his-
tory, but through all the fluctuations of fortune it
llourished, and worldly prosperity was ensured by nume-
rous gifts of land and money from the West Saxon kings.
From about 193 a.d. onwards there seems to have been
a succession of twelve men engaged in servinc the
church, until the great reputation for sanctity acquired
by them attracted, amongst many other pilgrims, the
great St. Patrick himself in 430. He found the twelve
monks living in separate cells around the church, and
persuaded them to dwell together under one roof. Thus
the Monastery was founded, and St. Patrick became its
first Abbot, and ruled, it is said, for thirty years, dying
at the age of 121, after having done so much to spread
Christianity not only in Ireland but in many parts of
England also. Under his direction the Church of St.
Michael's, on Tor Hill, was rebuilt, and its strong tower
remains to this day. defying alike wind and rain, and
ever keeping its sentinel-watch over the :' island valley"
below. (The body of this church was destroyed by an
earthquake at the end of the thirteenth century.)
It is still a disputed point whether St. Patrick was
buried in the Abbey Church which he helped to erect,
but beyond all doubt hither came King Arthur to be
healed of his wounds after the battle of Camlan in 542
(according to the Anglia Sacra). But the sands of the
mighty King's life were running out, and in a short time
he died from the hurt of his grievous wound. His body
was buried in strict secrecy by the monks, for fear of the
Saxons, who were then everywhere gaining ground ; and
this secrecy appears to have given rise to the popular
belief that Arthur was not dead. All doubt, however,
15-
208 GLASTONBURY ABBEY.
was set aside when, in the twelfth century. Henry II,
having heard from the Welsh hards that Arthur and
Guinevere were buried at Glastonbury, ordered Abbot
Henry de Soliac to search for the remains. From Giraldus
Cambrensis, who was present, a full account of the dis-
covery can be gleaned.
Having dug down some depth, the monks came
upon a large leaden cross lying upon a stone, and bear-
ing an inscription, " Hie jacet sepultus Inclytus Rex
Art hums in insula Avaloni?e cum Guinevera uxore sua
secunda." The slab was removed, and a stone coffin dis-
covered containing the bones of the Queen. Her lovely
golden hair still shrouded her form, but fell into dust on
exposure to the air. Digging further, the monks came
across what appeared to be a solid oak-tree. This, on
being opened, contained the bones of Arthur. He must
have been a gigantic man, for his shin-bone, when placed
against the leg of the tallest man present, reached above
his knee three finger-lengths, says Giraldus ; and on his
skull, also very large, more than ten wounds could be
counted. These precious remains were collected by Abbot
Henry, and placed in a splendid mausoleum within the
church itself, where it rested until Edward I and Queen
Eleanor visited the shrine. Edward ordered the bones
of his predecessors to be uncovered, that he might see
them himself, after which he and Eleanor gave rich
shrouds to Arthur and Guinevere, and their remains were
replaced, and moved before the high altar.
Century after century Glastonbury grew more famous
and prosperous. Kings delighted to honour this first
home of the faith, and made magnificent gifts of money
and lands. Men of distinguished learning and piety
ruled in almost regal state within the Abbey precincts.
Of these but few can be mentioned here. In the sixth
century Paulinus, the famous Archbishop of York, lived
there many years, teaching the new Benedictine rule.
To Ina, King of the West Saxons, the Abbey owed much
of its vitality and wealth, for he granted a charter and
many hides of land, besides building a splendid church
east of the three which had arisen previously. This was
richly decorated with gold and silver. The altar, it is
GLASTOXIUJRY A.BBEY. 209
said, contained 264 lbs. weight of gold. All the sacred
vessels were of this precious metal. The covers of the
Books of the Gospel were bound in 20 lbs. weight of
gold. The figures of Our Lord, St. Mary, and the
Apostles, were of solid gold, and the altar-cloth and
priestly vestments were interwoven with gold and pre-
cious stones. Truly a royal gift from such a royal person
as this old English King, who towards the close of his
life renounced all his glory, and went to Home with
Ethelburga, his wife, to live in retirement under the
Benedictine rule.
The name of Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, the
master-spirit of his age, and greatest statesman and
priest of his day, is ever associated with Glastonbury
because his boyhood was spent there, and to it he re-
turned as Abbot, by the appointment of Athelstan's son,
Edmund, after several years of Court life, in which he
took a leading part. Dunstan may be regarded as the
founder of monasticism in England, and bis own Abbey
came to be regarded as a model for other establishments.
Amongst the Norman Abbots may be mentioned Henry
of Blois, nephew of Henry I, who did much for his Abbey.
He is said to have built the bell-tower, chapter-house,
lavatory, refectory, the great gateway, and other monas-
tic additions ; so that before the disastrous fire of 1184,
which destroyed the whole of the Monastery except one
chamber and chapel, the church begun by In a must have
been an imposing edifice.
Fortunately at this crisis royal help was at hand, and
the second Henry granted a charter to the monks, in
which he himself says, " I have determined to repair it
(the church), to be completed either by myself or my
heirs, by the will of God"; and the magnificent structure
arose, the ruins of which fill us, in this nineteenth cen-
tury, with deep awe and admiration, mingled with the
most bitter regret and indignation that such a master-
piece of design and exquisite detail should have been
wantonly destroyed to gratify the rapacity of a King
whose name will ever be associated with one of the
blackest pages of our history.
An arched passage from the High Street of Glaston-
210 GLASTONBURY ABBEY.
bury, nearly opposite the Tribunal, leads the tourist to a
walled garden (once part of the Monastery). The payment
of 6d. gives the right to pass through a gate, and enter
the hallowed spot. Green grass and waving trees, beau-
tiful spring sunshine filling the air, and, above all, the
glorious ruins, make a picture never to be forgotten ; the
very atmosphere seems full of associations, and the place
peopled by the spirits of that long train of pious and
noble men who lived and worked here. Look where you
will, even on the carved stones lying about on the
ground, the same exquisite care for the minutest detail
is everywhere apparent.
The first thing to strike one is the chapel, dedicated
both to St. Mary and St. Joseph. It was built on the
site of the very first church, already alluded to, and as a
work of art perhaps had no rival. Three of the walls
still remain, "and on the north and south are four win-
dows, mullioned, and rising loftily nearly to the vaulting,
with semicircular heads." Between these windows the
walls were richly decorated ; even now glimpses of colour
may be seen here and there. Each corner was sur-
mounted by a square turret, up which ran a winding
staircase to a passage between the walls. The floor has
disappeared, and left bare the arches of a fifteenth cen-
tury crypt which was used as a burial-place. William of
Malmesbury says of this crypt, " Here are preserved the
human remains of many saints, nor is there any space in
the building that is free of their ashes. Rightly, there-
fore, is it called the heavenly sanctuary on earth, of so
large a number of saints it is the repository." Within
this, on the south side, is the Holy Well, whose healing
waters brought so many thousands of pilgrims to Aval-
Ion. A beautifully carved arch still protects the mouth
of tl lis Well, the workmanship of which will repay any
one a careful examination.
The north door is a splendid example of Norman work,
with very elaborate carvings upon the recessed arches.
The great church was built to the east of St. Joseph's
Chapel, but the two were eventually united by a galilee
and broad flight of steps leading up to the west door.
A magnificent nave with north and south aisles, transepts,
GLASTONBURY ABBEY. 2 1 1
bell-tower, chapels, and chancel, completed the building,
which, with St. Joseph's Chapel, measured, from east to
west, 528 ft. The nave and choir had a double line of
arches supported by highly ornamental pillars, a triforium
and clerestory, and the great tower was supported by
lour magnificent Gothic arches, 100 ft. high, which for
proportion and grandeur seem to stand unrivalled. A
portion of one only remains, and from it we can form
some judgment of the general effect. Four chapels occu-
pied places in the north and south transepts, and in each
were altars richly covered, and windows filled with
stained glass, beautiful to behold. Exquisite carving
and ornament everywhere adorn the walls and pillars,
upon which the workman has laboured with that great
love for his art so characteristic of the twelfth and thir-
teenth centuries.
Of the monastic buildings little remains except the
quaint Abbot's kitchen, built entirely of stone (about
1340 or 1380), where provision for four hundred or five
hundred guests could be made, as each of the four fire-
places was large enough to roast an ox ; and the kitchen
itself 33J ft. square within, and 72 ft. high to the top of
the lantern.
There is also a fragment of the almonry, interesting
because it contains a flight of steps, on the topmost one
of which the almoner stood to dispense relief to the poor
and sick, who thronged the building twice a week.
Time flies, and forbids me to linger any more over this
fascinating subject, the interest of which is inexhaustible.
1 will, therefore, conclude with a brief reference to the
last two Abbots who so worthily ended that long line of
noble prelates who for centuries wore the mitre, and until
1154 ranked as first in the kingdom.
Richard Beere, who died on Jan. 20th, 1524, was one
of the most splendid and distinguished men since Dun-
stan. He was the friend and emissary to Rome of
Henry VII, patron of learned men, amongst whom was
Erasmus. He did much church-restoration work through-
out the country, to which his monogram,1 R.B., and
1 The best monogram of P.eere is to be seen at the Lepers' Hospital,
Taunton.
2 1 2 GLASTONBURY ABBEY.
perennial rebus, "jugs of beer", bear testimony. The
Women's Almshouses at one of the entrances to the
Abbey were built by him, in 1512, for six or seven women
of good repute.
It is, however, around the memory of Richard Whiting
that our love and admiration will most fondly linger :
he who had grown up from a boy within the Abbey, and
who, from filling the humble office of chamberlain, was
chosen by Cardinal Wolsey to become the mitred Abbot
of one of the richest monasteries in the kingdom ; to sit
in the House of Peers, robed and mitred, with the honour
of conferring knighthood ; whose residence was a palace,
with four manor-houses, parks, gardens, and fisheries ;
whose attendance at high functions numbered one hun-
dred followers, all sons of noblemen ; who entertained as
many as five hundred guests at once ; who dispensed
relief to the poor every Wednesday and Friday out of his
own charity ; who educated three hundred youths of high
birth in the school attached to the Monastery ; and whose
library filled Leland with astonishment.
Then came the order for the dissolution of the greater
monasteries, and in September 1539 this man, great in
every sense of the word, worthy, and beloved by all
within his wide jurisdiction, was seized by the minions
of Cromwell on a charge of treason (though the Commis-
sioners admit that they could find no cause of complaint
against the Abbot or his Monastery), taken to London,
and imprisoned in the Tower, "being but a weak man
and sickly".
On November 14th, 1539, a form of trial took place at
Wells (whither the old man had been conveyed), at once
brutal and unjust, for Whiting had not been allowed to
have advice, or even prepare his own defence. In point
of fact, the end must have been determined long before,
as amongst Cromwell's private correspondence a note has
been found as follows : " Mem. The Abbot of Glaston-
bury to be tried at Glaston, and also to be executed
there, with his accomplices."
With the refinement of cruelty he was taken from
Wells to Glastonbury, drawn through the town on a
hurdle, and hanged on Tor Hill, within full view of the
GLASTONBURY ABBEV. 2 IS
place he had loved so well, and amidst a vast crowd of
mourners, w hose descendants to this day speak of him as
"the murdered A.bbot". Not content with this brutality,
Whiting's head was struck from his body almost before
he was dead, and his body quartered and sent to Wells,
Bath, Bristol, and Bridgewater. The head itself was
placed over the gateway of his own A.bbey ; and this
occurred, not in the dark ages, but at the end of the six-
teenth century, by the knowledge and sanction of a man
sty linn- himself " Defender of the Faith"!
( )nce more among- the ruins hallowed by this long line
of associations, one wonders whether the scepticism and
indifference of future generations will permit even what
now remains to decay still further, or whether once more
there will come a burst of religious enthusiasm which will
rebuild the "waste places", and revive yet again, on this
very spot, the dead embers of a grand Anglican, Catholic
ci i hedral.
;^%W ^Skp^L^lfe
ROMAN MANCHESTER,
AND
THE ROADS TO AND FROM IT.
BY THE REV. R. E. HOOPPELL, LL.B.
(Read at the Manchester Congress, 31 July 1894.)
HERE is not the slightest doubt that
Manchester had a Roman origin ; a por-
tion of Roman walling exists even yet
under one of the arches of the Altrinc-
ham Railway Viaduct, in the south-
western portion of the city, and there is
abundant evidence that in the seven-
teenth century the outline of the fosse and rampart was
yet perfectly distinct. Moreover, numerous relics of the
remarkable people who possessed and ruled this country
seventeen hundred years ago have been discovered on
the site, and some of them are still to be seen in the Earl
of Ellesmere's collection at Worsley Hall, and in the
Mayer Museum at Liverpool. I have heard also of some
in the hands of gentlemen still, or, at any rate, till
recently, residing in Manchester.
There is also, fortunately, hardly the shadow of a doubt
as to the Roman name of the fortress and town. It must
have been Mancunium. It is singular that many of the
I Ionian names of fortresses and towns in Great Britain
have come down to us under two or even more forms.
Glannibanta and Glanoventa, Vinovia and Vinovinm,
Mancunium and Manucium, are instances. In all such
cases the possibility of the names applying to two or
more distinct places must always be borne in mind. In
some cases it is probable they do apply to different
ROMAN MANCHESTER. 215
places ; but in the case of Manchester it seems almost
certain that both Mancunium and Manucium belong to
the city in which we now are. Both words are British.
Mancunium signifies "rock top"; Manucium signifies
" high rock" or " high stone". This latter term might be
applied to a lofty standing stone, erected in earlier ages
upon the spot on which the Roman fortress afterwards
was placed. Mamucium, another form which is found,
cannot, I think, properly belong to Manchester. Mamu-
cium signifies " high mother", and probably designated a
much loftier height.
Some years ago I made a pilgrimage to Manchester to
see whether the Roman station really had rested upon a
" rock top". I found it had done so. Some sewerage
works were being executed in the part of the town that
once had been covered with R,oman buildings, and there
the substratum of the street was being quarried to admit
the culvert. The surface also was higher than the dis-
trict around.
I believe the modern Welsh call Manchester, in their
own tongue, Manceinion, thus making its name bear
quite another meaning; for Manceinion, as far as I can
make out, has nothing to do with rock, stone, or summit,
but signifies a " place of jewellery or ornaments". Pos-
sibly, in mediaeval times, Manchester might have, in
Wales, something of the reputation of London, whose
streets were popularly believed to be paved with gold,
when as yet, I fear, they had, for the most part, but little
pavement of any kind.
With regard to the roads to and from Mancunium,
two of the most important of Roman ways passed through
it ; that is, if Manucium and Mancunium are one. These
two roads are known as the Second Iter and the Tenth
Iter of Antoninus. They were military highways, streets,
roads paved, that is, from end to end.
There must have been, and as a matter or fact we
know there were, several other roads starting from or
passing through Mancunium, of almost equal size and of
similar character, which looked, probably, in the imme-
diate neighbourhood of Manchester, as of almost equal
importance with the first named two. Remains of several
216 ROMAN MANCHESTER,
such roads Lave been investigated near Manchester since
antiquaries began to observe such things, and it becomes,
in consequence, a matter of some difficulty to distinguish
between those recorded in Antoninus and the others.
Another circumstance which adds to the difficulty of
identification is the fact that all the great Roman centres
of population or fortification in Great Britain have not
by any means been yet accurately or indisputably local-
ised. For instance, the position of Mediolanum, a very
important centre in connection with our present subject,
has not been absolutely ascertained. One would have
thought that its true site would long ago have been
decided ; but it has not been so ; and I doubt whether
its true position will ever be fixed beyond cavil, unless
some happy accident lead to a discovery of extensive
remains on some spot hitherto unthought of, or all but
unthought of. Yet it seems a matter of no great difficulty
to indicate, within a few miles, an area within which it
must have stood, for it was thirty-six miles from Mancu-
nium, and twenty-three miles from Uriconium. Taking
a map and a pair of compasses, and sweeping out circles
at those respective distances from the centres named, it
is seen that Mediolanum must have been, if the figures
quoted have come down to us correctly from Roman
times, somewhere between Malpas in Cheshire and Woore
in Shropshire, or not very far north or south of a line
joining those two places.
An effort has often been made to arrive at a decision
as to the exact length of the Roman mile ; but hitherto,
I think, without complete success. Many antiquaries
have concluded that the Roman mile was about nine-
tenths of an English mile. As far as I can judge, how-
ever, it seems to have been longer rather than shorter
than the English mile. I have here a map of the neigh-
bourhood around Manchester, made from the Ordnance
Map, on the reduced scale of half an inch to the mile.
On this Map, as any one can test for himself, the distance
between Wroxeter and Manchester, "as the crow flies",
is fifty-nine miles. In the Second Iter of Antoninus the
distance between Uriconium and Mancunium is precisely
the same : hence the Roman mile cannot have been less
AND THE ROADS TO AND FROM IT. "Ill
than the English mile, since the distance, in an abso-
lutely straight line, is precisely the same as that given in
the Itinerary as the measurement along the road. More-
over, it is manifest that Mediolanum cannot have been
far from the straight line joining those two stations.
The district I have named above, between Malpas and
Woore (particularly the western portion of it), abounds
in Roman remains. Roman remains have been found at
Malpas itself, at Whitchurch, at Pan Castle (near Whit-
church), at Bickley (where the very important diploma
was found in 1812), and at other spots. Mediolanum,
however, lies probably completely buried. Let it not be
thought that such a thing is impossible. The tine, exten-
sive, and rich Roman station at the mouth of the Tyne
was, previous to live and twenty years ago, entirely
obliterated. There were no signs of rampart, or fosse, or
street : all was level ; and for a long period no Roman
relic, be}^ond an odd coin or two, had been discovered
there. And this had taken place, not because the site
had been for generations built upon, for it was a farm in
tillage. Wheat-fields waved over the deserted streets
and halls and forum, and hedges ran across ramparts and
fosse, without a suspicion occurring to any one of any
irregularity of contour beneath.
So now, in all probability, it is with Mediolanum, and
its exact position may never be brought to light. More-
over, it was probably a station of very considerable size,
and possibly had no great encircling wall like Verulam
and Silchester. Uriconium was a large Roman city,
covering far more than the site of the present village of
Wroxeter, yet I believe no portion of encircling rampart
remained above ground. There is a grand fragment of a
temple or other large building still extant, but no portion
of a mason-built rampart that I remember. Near Audlem,
in the district I have named above, is a farm bearing the
suggestive title of " Brick Wall." I remember journeying
there once ; but I could get no information as to whence
the farm derived its name, nor did I discover any ancient
fragment. If any such existed above ground when the
farm acquired its name, it had not only disappeared, but
the remembrance of it appeared also to have perished.
•J ] S ROMAN MANCHESTER,
There are many other names, however, in the immediate
neighbourhood of a suggestive character. The name Aud-
lem, just mentioned, seems to point to the " old, smooth"
highway, the Roman road. Then there are New Hall,
Bromhall,01d Hall, Cool Lane, Cool Pilate, Cool Hall, Stan-
ford Bridge, Lodmore Lane, Grimley Green, Royals Green,
and New Town, all within the circuit of a mile or two.
There is more to he said about Mediolanum, but for a
lew moments we will turn to another station closely con-
nected with Mancunium. Half way between Mancunium
and Mediolanum was Condas, distant eighteen Roman
miles from each of them. If we describe a circle on the
Map at that distance from Mancunium, it will pass close
to Castle North wich, which is not very far from the
straight line joining Mancunium and LTriconium. Condas
can hardly have been anywhere else than there. Abun-
dant Roman remains have been found at Castle North-
wich, and over a considerable area around, and the con-
tour of the ground exactly suits the name ; for Condas
evidently means " conical heap", a good designation for
the hill on which Castle Northwich stands. Moreover,
I am not aware that there has ever been any castle there
except the Roman fortress.
I am aware that the late Mr. Thompson Watkin, for
whom I entertained great regard, and whose labours on
behalf of Roman archaeology deserve unstinted praise,
contended stoutly for Kinderton as the site of Condas ;
hut I cannot see that Kinderton is possible. No doubt
Kinderton is a Roman site. Roman relics have been
found there, and accounts of visible traces of fosse and
vallum, and Roman roads converging upon it, have come
down to us; and marked remains of a Roman road point-
ing directly to Wilderspool, near Warrington (likewise a
Roman station), exist still, and are known as Kind or
King Street. But a glance at the Map will show that
Kinderton will not suit the distances. Mr. Thompson
Watkin contended likewise that Chesterton, in Stafford-
shire, was Mediolanum ; but this, too, is impossible.
Chesterton is far beyond the twenty-three mile circle
from Uriconium, though it is within the thirty-six mile
circle from Mancunium.
AND THE ROADS TO AND FROM IT. 219
A circle drawn at the distance of eighteen miles from
Castle Northwich strikes the circle drawn at twenty-
three miles distance from Uriconinm a mile or two to the
west of Audlera, near New Hall and Kingworth Green.
It has been thought that the first four letters of the
name Kinclerton are a corruption of the name Condas ;
but the names do not appear to have any connection
with each other. I have already given the meaning of
Condas in the British language, namely, "a conical heap",
or a sugar-loaf hill. Kinder, in the same language, means
"dog-water", that is, "otter-water", and suggests to us
that probably in early days otters were peculiarly abund-
ant in the Dane and Croco rivers, which bounded the
site of the Roman station of those days, of the Kinder-
ton Hall and Manor of later times. The " ton", of course,
was a Saxon termination, added by Saxon lords to the
name by which the place was known to the natives
whom the new conquerors, when they arrived, found
upon the spot.
Condas, besides being eighteen miles from Mancunium,
was twenty miles from Deva. Northwich is not quite so
I'lir from Chester in a direct line; but there is evidence
that the Roman road from Northwich to Chester, through
Delamere Forest, was not a straight one, and this pro-
bably accounts for the extra distance.
To turn now to other considerations with regard to
Mediolanum. The road we have been thus far consider-
ing is not the only one from Mediolanum to Mancunium.
We have particulars given to us of a circuitous one by
Deva, that is Chester. By that road the distance is
sixty-eight miles, whereas by the direct road it is only
thirty-six miles. For purposes of comparison I will give
the two roads as they are given in Antoninus. The first
is a portion of his Iter 2 ; the second, of his Iter 10.
ITER 2.
Manucium to Condas . . . .18 miles
Condas to I >eva . . . . . 20 ,,
Deva to Bovium . . . . . 10 „
Bovium to Mediolanum . . . . 20 ,,
». In all GS
220 ROMAN MANCHESTER,
ITER 10.
Mancunium to Condas . . . .18 miles
Condas to Mediolanum . . . . 18 „
In all 36 ,,
It is plain from this that Condas, Deva, Bovium, and
Mediolanum, must form the angles of an irregular quad-
rilateral figure. It ought not, therefore, to be a matter
of overwhelming difficulty to find two of them if we have
been able already to determine the other two.
Now with regard to Deva there is absolutely no ques-
tion. All antiquaries are entirely agreed that it cannot
be any other place than Chester. With regard to Con-
das, considerations we have already discussed seem to
point decisively to Castle Northwich.
If, then, we describe a circle at the distance of ten
miles from Chester, and another at the distance of
eighteen miles from Castle North wich, Bo vium should lie
somewhere near the circumference of the first, and Medi-
olanum somewhere near the circumference of the second,
with a distance of twenty miles between them.
Having done this, Caergwrle appears to be the only
likely place for Bovium. It is an undoubted Roman site
in Flintshire, ten miles, by modern road, from Chester,
though less in a direct line ; but I believe a perfectly
straight road from Chester to Caergwrle is quite out of
the question. A circle described with Caergwrle for
centre, and distance twenty miles, strikes the circles
from Condas and Uriconium a little west of the spot
where they strike each other, affording a remarkable con-
firmation of the conclusion already come to, that the site
of Mediolanum must be sought to the west, but at no
very great distance to the west, of Audlem or Newhall.
The only place that seems able at all to compete
against Caergwrle for the site of Bovium, on the score of
correctness of distance, is Holt or Farndon, one opposite
the other, on the banks of the Dee. But if Bovium be
at either of those places, Mediolanum would be thrown
to the east of Audlem, and the distances from Condas
and Uiiconium would be increased. If the road from
Holt, eastward, were very crooked in Roman timeg, that
AND THE ROADS TO AND FROM IT. 221
might absorb the distance ; but that is a conjecture one
would not make unless upon stronger grounds than can
be adduced in this case, as far, at any rate, as I am
aware.
Bangor Iscoed, where, it is said, extensive Horn an
remains have been found, has been thought by many to
be Bovium, but it is several miles beyond the ten-mile
circle from Chester. The good Roman road running
south from Chester, by Aldford and Farndon, or Holt,
naturally makes one desirous to find Bovium upon it.
There is a spot marked Castle Town, at the right dis-
tance from Chester, but I do not know that anything
Roman has been found there. If Bovium were really
situated at or near Bangor Iscoed, the effect of the dis-
tance upon the position of Mediolanum would be much
the same as if Bovium were at Farndon or Holt. The
name Bovium appears to signify, in British, " muddy
water" or " foul water". I do not know whether there
is any stream in the neighbourhood of either Caergwrle
or Holt which at the present day deserves such an appel-
lation. There is, however, near Malpas, a Dirtwich,
anciently called Fulwich (signifying, no doubt, " Foul
\\ icli'). Singular to say, this stream empties itself into
the Dee at a point about midway between the two pre-
sent day villages of Bangor and Iscoed. As it nears the
Dee, a Broughton and a Worthenbury stand upon its
banks.
Mediolanum appears to signify " centre of trackways",
and was probably a British town before it was a Roman
one. It reminds one forcibly of the modern Crewe, which
is undoubtedly at no great distance from its ancient pro-
totype, wheresoever the exact site of Mediolanum may
be ultimately found to be. I have often been struck by
the tendency of modern railway engineers unconsciously
to tread in the footsteps of their mighty Roman prede-
cessors.
The Tenth Iter of Antoninus ends at Mediolanum, the
Second passes through Mediolanum to London and Rich-
borough. We have seen that between Northwich and
Manchester they coalesce ; that is, if Mancunium and
Manucium be one and the same place. It may be asked,
1895 16
222 ROMAN MANCHESTER,
however, Is it absolutely necessary to consider them one
and the same place ? Or, it* they were not really one and
the same place, where could Manucium possibly be ? To
this I should reply that it could be at or near Stockport,
where Roman remains have been found, and to which a
Eoman road ran from Mancunium.
Supposing, however, Mancunium and Manucium to be
the same, the Second and Tenth Iters coalesce through-
out the eighteen miles from Condas to Mancunium. From
the lattei° station, it seems to me, they either coalesce
again for a number of miles, or lie very close to each
other. I am bound to say, however, that many anti-
quaries have taken a widely different view from this.
Many antiquaries have held that the Tenth Iter, which
lias travelled to Mancunium from Mediolanum in a north-
easterly direction, at Mancunium takes a westerly course,
and goes either to Wigan, and thence to Eibchester, or
else to Eibchester direct. There were, undoubtedly, good
Roman roads in each of those directions, remains of
which, though every year becoming scantier, still exist ;
and Eibchester was a notable Roman station, which has
yielded abundant and very important remains. But, for
my own part, I do not think the Tenth Iter went to
either of those towns. I believe the magnificent Eoman
Way over Blackstone Edge (which is to be visited by the
Association on Saturday next) is the identical road ; and
I believe that the Eoman station at Slack, usually thought
to be Cambodunum, is in reality Coccium. It is at the
right distance from Manchester, and the colour of the
soil (an orange or tawny red) agrees with the name, which
can only belong to a spot where the soil or rock is of
that colour. Cambodunum, on the other hand, must be
a height with an encircling valley, and answers better
to Greetland, where, according to Camden, a remarkable
I u.man altar was found, or to the Castle Hill at Almond-
bury. Either Greetland or Almondbury suits the distance
of Cambodunum from Calcaria (almost universally placed
at Tadcaster) better than Slack.
Our elder antiquaries placed Cambodunum at Almond-
bury ; but when Slack was explored, some twenty or
twenty-five years ago, it was at once settled that it must
AND TI1K ROADS TO AND FROM IT. 223
be Cambodunum ; the fact that Cocchmi had not been
located, and was waiting identification, being apparently
quite forgotten. I should say that Antoninus gives the
distance of Coccium from Mancunium as seventeen miles,
and the distance of Cambodunum from Manucium as
eighteen miles.
I will only say farther, with regard to this matter, that
if Coccium is held to be at Slack, the Tenth Iter must
go on to the sea, at the mouth of the Tyn'e; but if Wigan
be Coccium, and Ribchester be Bremetonacse, it must go
on to the Western Sea, and its terminus in that case
must, I think, be located at Ellenboro, near Maryport,
where was a notable Roman station, which was explored
to a considerable extent some years ago. Mr. J. B. Bai-
ley, of Maryport, advocated its claims to be the northern
terminus of the Tenth Iter, at that time, in an able
manner. The Roman name of the terminating station
northwards was Glanoventa or Glannibanta, each of
which appellations signifies " the brink of the height",
and shows clearly that the station must be sought on a
commanding eminence. This condition is fulfilled by the
Roman station near Maryport, and also by each of the
Roman stations which existed at the mouth of the Tyne,
namely, the one near Tynemouth and the one near South
Shields.
If Slack be Coccium, and the Roman road over Black-
stone Edge be the Tenth Iter, its course from Manches-
ter appears to have been by Street Fold in Moston, Street
Bridge in Chadderton, Street Gate in Ryton, the eastern
side of Rochdale, the eastern part of Littleboro, Baitings,
etc. ; and if Almondbury be Cambodunum, the course of
the Second Iter from Manchester would be by Ardwick,
Stanley Barn, Ancoats Lane, Newton Heath, Failsworth,
Honey Well Lane, Glodwick, Austerlands, Castleshaw,
where was a Roman station, etc. Remains of both these
roads, if difficult of discovery now, were noted and
recorded by the antiquaries of earlier days.
I believe I have now touched upon all the Roman
roads to and from Manchester that are known to have
existed. There may have been others of which no
remains have come to light. Those I have spoken of are,
162
224 ROMAN MANCHESTER, ETC.
on the north side, the roads to Wigan, to Ribchester
direct, to Blackstone Edge, and to Castle Shaw ; on the
south side, the roads to Stockport and to Northwich. I
will only say, in conclusion, that I cannot expect all per-
sons who have thought upon these matters to agree with
me in all that I have advanced. At the same time I
trust you will not think the views I have brought before
you altogether unworthy of being taken into account, in
future discussions on the subject of my paper : " Roman
Manchester, and the Roads to and from It."
RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE.
I'.V REV. II. CART, M.A.
i Read Vlth April 1895.)
OME of you, I fear, may wish that my
visit to Carthage had been more recent,
it having taken place in the month of
February 1893 ; yet I have not heard, in
the meantime, of any very notable disco-
veries in that region; therefore we may
take it, I think, that, for the most part,
Carthage of February 1893 is but little different from
Carthage of April 1895.
I think, first of all, I will briefly describe my manner
of reaching Carthage, not because the itinerary is in any
sense a model one, but it may suggest a pleasant journey-
ing to a site world-famous in classic lore.
When I left England I had not the slightest idea of ever
going anywhere near Carthage, and it was only after a
week's sojourn in the delightful hill-country outside
Algiers that I conceived the plan of travelling along the
north coast of Africa in a railway-train to Tunis. It will
hardly be credited when I tell you that I had to postpone
the date of my departure on account of the line being
rendered impassable by snow-drifts ; but, once started, I
shall never forget the agony of that railway journey ! I
think a hansom cab, were the direction a little less
mountainous, would get over the ground more quickly.
To reach Tunis in a day's journey from Algiers is a thing
the contemplation of which would upset altogether the
orderly working of the Oriental mind, and I found that
even to get to Constantine, which is a sort of "half-way
house", would be a journey of about nineteen hours ; so
the first night we found shelter at a little country place
named Bouira, and after being duly regaled at the inn
226 HKC'KNT VISIT TO CARTHAGE.
with roast panther and other delicacies, we betook our-
selves, by an outside staircase, to sleeping apartments
which, if moderately clean, were certainly not fin de siecle
in arrangements or appointments. Murray's Guide
(from which I shall often quote) says, under the head of
" Bouira", " Hotel d'Europe,-— comfortable." It is kind
of Murray; but ideas of comfort vary, do they not,
so very much ? The pampered Englishman of to-day
does not thankfully put up with the rude hospitality
enjoyed and courted by his forefathers. However, all
little shortcomings were amply atoned for by a very
beautiful sunrise on the distant mountains, which I duly
" kodaked". You will pardon the Americanism. I think
it is not strictly archaeological.
The next day the journey is resumed to Constantine,
and again a day is passed in the "fiery express /"_ Who-
ever visits Algeria must certainly go to Constantine. It
is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen ; not
because of its buildings, which are poor and uninterest-
ing, but because of its magnificent situation. As a fort-
ress town, if properly defended, it ought to be almost
impregnable. The series of panoramic views, each one of
greater natural beauty than the other, which you obtain
whilst driving round the outskirts, is something to he
written with letters of gold on the pages of life's book of
delightful memories.
Finding that from Constantine to Tunis is a journey of
about eighteen hours, I resolved to pass a day also at
Hone, and on a certain Sunday afternoon I visited the
site of the ancient Hippo,— a place with which, you will
remember, the name of the great St. Augustine is inde-
libly associated ; and it was here that he wrote that won-
derful spiritual manual which has been read and re-read
by hundreds and thousands of Christians. I mean, of
course, his Confessions.
There is nothing left of Hippo save the cisterns and
nqueduct which supplied the town with water; and near
these a very unimposing statue of St. Augustine, above
an altar surrounded by iron railings, links in the mind
the classic with the Christian fame of this once great
centre of commerce.
RECENT VrSIT TO CARTHAGE. 227
And now we are en route for Tunis ; and Tunis, when
I get there, I find more delightful than Algiers, though
altogether lacking the natural advantages of the latter.
For thorough refreshment, for food for the eye and for
the mind, for subtle contrasts, and hitherto unsuspected
combinations of colour, for absolute novelty, for intel-
lectual distraction, for amusement of the most variegated
kind, for complete change, commend to me a visit to an
Oriental city, — and Tunis is a little Constantinople.
Take the old quarter of Stamboul at Constantinople, and
flatten and depress its buildings into hideousness, take
away its marvellous scenic surroundings, and then you
have 'funis. Ah, yes ! you 've got Tunis, but you haven't
got Carthage ; and, I suppose, to you as archaeologists
the great attraction of Tunis would be its nearness to
Carthage. For me, I am so wretchedly worldly that I
linger in the bazaars afternoon after afternoon, purchas-
ing yards of soft muslin or rich silk, because it is so
pleasant to buy these things with much friendly but un-
intelligible barter, whilst the vendor entertains you in a
most friendly manner over dainty cups of Turkish coffee.
As a heathen poet says, "It is sweet to play the fool —
sometimes"; and life is sometimes all so dark and drear
that we are fascinated with an Arabian Night's atmos-
phere, although we know that we are paying through
the nose for perhaps " Brummagem" goods.
But Carthage is our destination, and to Carthage we
must go. I will not enter into the history of Carthage
because I presume you to be moderately well acquainted
with that ; but I will tell you what you ought to do
before you visit Carthage, — two things which I did not
do. First of all, saturate yourself with the story of Car-
thage from its earliest time to its downfall, and get a
mind-picture of its great (oh, so great ! !) heroes and saints.
Then, when you get there, stay for some days as near as
you can to the place, and systematically tramp over the
whole tract of arid country that is dotted here and there
with more or less shapeless remains ; and do this, if you
can, in company with congenially minded people. It is
not everyone, you know, who has a taste for archaeology.
Well, if you can't hap on a person who raves about old
RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE
stones, von yourself will be the best companion for your-
self, though you may often be a dull one.
Now, when I went to Carthage, I made a flying excur-
sion from Tunis, there and back in the day. I met with
two young men who were the very reverse of archaeolo-
gical students ; and whilst T was there I was in a very
bad temper because my camera got out of order, and 1
couldn't take any photographs of the spot I particularly
wanted to have some remembrance of; and because the
wind was so high that I couldn't keep my hat on ; and
then, — another because, — because, I will frankly confess
to you, I was hugely disappointed in the remains, or
rather want of remains. And that is why I give you
advice which is the fruit of experience.
I am just going to tell you what general impressions
I carried away, and these I will supplement by a little
information from other sources. The general impres-
sions you must take for what they are worth, and I am
afraid they are not worth very much.
But, first of all, a word as to the ways to reach Car-
thage from Tunis. You can either go by train or make
it a carriage-excursion. I preferred the latter alternative,
and we halted for lunch at Marsa, an uninteresting place
about midway between Carthage and Tunis, where the
Bey (the nominal governing power of Tunis) has a sum-
mer residence. I should advise all persons who go by
this route to take their lunch with them, as they won't
find much at Marsa save a rough, rude shanty where
they may sit on a wooden form, and spread out their
viands on an unclothed table. Our guide, a most respect-
able old Jew (for Jews abound in Tunis), seemed to think
this the best part of the excursion. He was not an
archaeologist, poor old fellow, but he had got hold of the
words " Dido" and " Carthage", and he rang the changes
on these pretty frequently during our perambulations.
I '-hall always remember that lunch, for a little inci-
dent, most trifling: in itself, brines back the whole scene
to my memory. The little things of life take hold upon
some minds, and I am afraid go far to obscure a proper
view of the greater issues. "Little things please little
i ni nds." I plead guilty to the indictment, for I love
RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE. '229
above all things to be childish ; but deep furrows in the
face, and a head bereft of its natural covering, do not
long encourage this sort of thing. The incident I refer-
red to was t his. 1 was very much surprised, whilst saun-
tering about after lunch, to see a fowl running along
minus its head ; lait all things were made clear when I
presently saw an old Turk cleaning, with great delibera-
tion, a verv blunt razor.
The drive from Marsa to Carthage, and, indeed, all the
way from Tunis, is as flat, monotonous, and unpicturesque,
as you could possibly imagine any drive to be; and when
you arrive at Carthage, and you alight in a great plain
with here and there crumbling heaps of masonry and
great masses of irregular stones situated at great dis-
tance from each other, you perhaps say to yourself, with
momentary vexation, " Mais le jeu ne vaut pas la chan-
delle." But as you walk from one unearthed site to the
other, you begin to say again to yourself, " Carthage was
a mighty city ; her power must have been something to
reckon with in the ages that are gone." But how few
traces of her magnificence ! " Delenda Carthago !" The
fiat went forth in the old, old time, and never was ruth-
less command more completely and amply fulfilled. Think
of Tyrian Carthage destroyed by Romans, who leave us
in its place a new city, which in its turn is laid waste by
Genseric under the Vandals ; and later came a third
visitation, a forcible possession by the descendants of
Mahomet, the Caliphs ; and then wonder that, taking
into account modern pillage, there should even remain a
ruin so perfect in detail as that of the great basilica of
I )amous El-Karita, which was situated, it is supposed,
just outside the ramparts of the ancient city. This
reminds us that our complaint was made in ignorance.
Another fact that soon becomes to us most evident is
that Carthage owed a great deal of its prosperity to its
natural situation, having an unrivalled sea-front and a
superb water-way, which advantages you can see by to-
day's ruins were adroitly turned to the best uses in the
way of trade, commerce, and defence. The modern town
of Tunis, far away in the distance, presents to us a very
different spectacle, with its dirty salt-lakes at back and
230 RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE.
front, and its awkwardly situated port, the Goletta, the
small town at which is extending rapidly in the direction
of Carthage.
But we Avill walk, if you please, in the direction of the
before-mentioned basilica, which is to me a very notable
building, and a short description of which I will give you
in the words of the Pore Delattre, the mission-priest
belonging to the Order of " Les Peres Blancs", who has
done so much in bringing to light the Christian archaeo-
logy of Carthage.
As to his discovery of this basilica he says: "Going
one day, in 1878, to tend a wounded Arab at the village
of Sidi-ben-Said, I crossed the fields by the shortest cut,
which was then only a mere foot-track, and on arriving
at the plot called Damous-el-Karita, situated 250 ft. from
the ancient ramparts, I picked up a little piece of marble
having on it these four letters, evge. This simple dis-
covery was to lead, later on, to the opening up of a great
Christian basilica. At first we only made borings, but
initial investigations proved that the bed of earth
ploughed every year by the Arabs covered overthrown
columns, capitals of pillars, mosaics, bas-reliefs, and in-
scriptions."
He then goes on to say that Cardinal Lavigerie
announced the discovery to the French Academy in 1881,
and advised the establishment of a permanent archaeolo-
gical mission at Carthage ; and, believe me, in no spot is
one more needed. But even before this communication
" we had found", says he, " in this same plot 1,493 frag-
ments of Christian epitaphs, of which 217 bore the for-
mula, ' Fidelis in pace'; 14, the dove ; 27, the palm ; and
5, the cross."
Year by year more and more of the ground-plan of the
basilica has been revealed, and now the whole is laid
open to inspection. The whole building contained,—
(l), in the middle, the basilica properly so called ; (2), on
the left, a semicircular atrium, with trichorum and
nymphaeum ; (3), on the right, a second basilica conti-
guous to the first, and enclosing the baptistery. In the
central basilica there were no less than nine naves, these
being separated from each other by eight rows of twelve
RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE. 231
pillars. The orientation was from south-west to north-
east. At the southern extremity of the great nave there
was an apse, and another was discovered at the east, at
the end of the transept. The first of these was paved
with a mosaic floor, in which were represented vases,
flowers, and other ornaments, in the most varied colours.
The second apse was shut off by an iconostasis composed
of four columns, cut each, with its stylobate and capital,
in a monolith of grey marble. The screen of this icono-
stasis was formed of panels of white marble, ornamented
on one side with a Latin cross, and on the other side (the
,side which faces inwards) with the monogram of Christ.
At the point where the great nave cuts the transept
(that is to say, at the central point of the basilica) there
were found the remains of the ciborium, which o'er-
canopied the altar. The columns supporting this were of
the finest green marble, their bases and capitals being of
white marble.
In the interior of the basilica were found a number of
subterranean reservoirs. Most of these are undoubtedly
Roman cisterns belonging to a date earlier than the
basilica ; but in one of them a great number of little
cubes of glass, covered with gilding and enamel, were dis-
covered ; and this points, says our friend Delattre, to
much destruction of rich mosaics at some time or other.
I have already alluded to the great" find " of Christian
inscriptions here, but I dare say you will be surprised
when 1 tell you that up to 1892 the number of these dis-
covered in this one place exceeds 14,000. The bas-reliefs
brought to light may be counted by hundreds. " The
subject which recurs the most frequently is the Good
Shepherd. Others show Eve after her disobedience, the
miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, St. Peter and
the cock, the Blessed Virgin presenting the Child Jesus
to the adoration of the Magi. One of the most interest-
ing represents the angel announcing to the shepherds
the birth of Our Saviour." This was discovered in 1889,
and, strange to say, just before the Feast of Christmas.
There seems to be ground for considerable doubt as to a
figure, many copies of which have been found, and which
represents a woman nursing a child. From the attitude
232 RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE.
and the general treatment one would at first sight sup-
pose it to be a representation of the Blessed Virgin and
the Child Christ. Figures something like these have
been, by competent authorities, pronounced to signify
the Egyptian Isis suckling Horus.
M. de Rossi, a great savant, says, in reference to the
Carthaginian figures, " The little figures in terracotta
have a Byzantine appearance, especially in the dress por-
trayed. I have never seen anything like them belonging
to the Christian epoch. At Capua, in Campania, many
terra-cotta figures are found representing divinities carry-
ing a child on their knees. They are anterior to the
Christian era. Those of Africa have no resemblance to
them." The Pere Delattre says, " Everything goes to
make me believe that these little figures belong to the
Christian epoch, without at the same time convincing
me, in spite of an ardent desire I have to be so convinced,
that they are Christian, and that they represent the
Mother of God."
All these inscriptions, bas-reliefs, statuettes, etc., may
be seen in the Museum formed by the Pere Delattre,
which contains also a vast number of objects belonging
to the early Punic period.
Close to the Museum is the Chapel of St. Louis, and
this commemorates the death of that saintly monarch at
Carthage. As your Murray will tell you, "On the 8th
of August 1830 a treaty was concluded between Charles X
and the Regency of Tunis, containing the following
article: 'We cede in perpetuity to H.M. the King of
France a site in the Maalaka, to erect a religious monu-
ment in honour of Louis IX, on the spot where that
Prince died. We engage to respect, and to cause to be
respected, this monument, consecrated by the Emperor
of France to the memory of his most illustrious ances-
tor."' As no one could find out the exact spot where
St. Louis died, the French took the very best site on all
the plain, the site of the Byrsa (the first point fortified
by the ( Jarthaginians), and erected there a most miserable
little chapel. Behind this architectural abortion is the
Seminaire, and on the ground-floor of this building you
enter the Salle de St. Louis, the walls of which are
RECENT VISIT TO CARTHAGE. 233
covered with paintings representing scenes in the life of
the Saint.
I must mention the cisterns of Carthage, as they form
a very important feature in the remains, inasmuch as one
great public reservoir has been restored, and is now used
for the supply of the Goletta and Marsa. There is
storage here for 27,000 cubic metres of water.
As we were going from one place to another, the
guide, with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, induced me to
descend into an underground cave lighted by a hole
from the top, and assured me it was Dido's bath. The
inhabitants of Carthage certainly revelled in the aqueous
element !
And now our carriage will not wait any longer, and we
must perforce return to Tunis, taking with us an ill-
digested, rambling idea of our visit to one of the world's
greatest centres, "once the Queen of Africa, and the rival
of Rome itself." I have not told you half that I should
have done about the remains. I have not even men-
tioned the Forum; the marble Temple of iEsculapius ; the
Circus ; the Theatre, of which the red and black granite
columns have been dispersed throughout Europe ; the
Amphitheatre, the scene of the martyrdom of St. Per-
petua and her companions ; the wonderful harbours.
But I hope I have said enough to make you wish to go
and see for yourself all these vestiges of antiquity.
I dare say you may know that the great Cardinal now
passed to his rest, Cardinal Lavigerie, who lived at
Carthage, and established in Africa that noble Order of
the White Brethren, conceived the idea of restoring
Carthage to something of her pristine grandeur ; so, as a
first step, he built a cathedral. But that proved to be,
so far as he was concerned, the "end-all" of his ambi-
tion. It is a grand project ; but I fancy that neither
you nor I, nor our great-great-grandchildren, will ever
see Carthage rise to be even a shadow of what she once
was. The power has departed, the sceptre has gone,
and Mahommedan misrule and French militarism have
potent sway.
I cannot better conclude this short account of some
days of travel than by quoting the words of the Cardinal,
23 \
RECENT VISIT TO CAKTII \< . I..
words which he used when preaching at the consecration
of the Cathedral: "And now, bells of our church,
ring out a new Carthage ! Tell only of resurrection and
life ! Enough of death, enough of catastrophe, enough
of warfare, enough of strife, enough of mourning !
Announce henceforth hope and heavenly consolation ;
speak to the people around only of peace, of forgetfulness
of the past, of brotherly love, of prosperity and affluence.
So be it r
ON SKULL-GOIiLKTS.
BY II. SVKi; CUMING, ESQ,, f.K.A.SOOT., V.I'.
N his fearful ballad of Alonzo the Brave,
Monk Lewis describes the Skeleton
Knight and the false one, in her bridal
vesture, whirling and shrieking in the
nuptial hall, —
" While they drink out of skulls newly
torn from the grave,
Dancing round them the spectres are seen ;
Their liquor is blood, and this horrible stave
They howl, 'To the health of Alonzo the Brave
And his consort, the Fair Imogine !' "
However revolting the idea of this sanguinolent draught
may seem, however repulsive the caput rnortuum goblet
may appear, that hideous, sickening draught and ghastly
goblet were not mere inventions of the poet, but things
of stern reality, — facts attested by eminent historians
and modern travellers, and proclaimed far and wide
throughout the globe :
"The pleasantest beverage is the blood of our enemies,
The most agreeable shade is that of spears ;
The sword and the dagger are fragrant flowers ;
Our drink is the blood of our enemies,
Our cups their skulls",
is the glowing language of a Persian poem in which are
embodied and expressed the feelings and passions of
many nations and many eras.1 The pages of Herodotus
(iv, G4, 65) bear record that every Scythian drank the
blood of the first person he slew in battle, and that the
skulls of those they most detested were cut off below the
1 See Flowers <>l Persian Literature, collected by Rousseau (1801),
p. 173.
236 (>X SKULL-GOBLETS.
eyebrows, and after cleansing were employed as drinking-
cups. Those used by the poor were simply covered with
leather, but the goblets of the rich were lined with gold ;
and if any stranger whom they deemed of consequence
chanced to visit them, these skulls were displayed before
him as a testimony of valour, and relation given of what
connection they had with their victims, of how they had
received provocation, and how their victory had been
achieved. According to Chinese writers, the Scythians,
in the year B.C. 163, drove the Yue-ti across the Jaxartes,
killed the king, and converted his skull into a drinking-
cup, which was still in use a hundred and fifty years
after the event.1
We gather from Herodotus (iv, 26) that the Issedones,
who dwelt in what is known as Great Tartary, feasted
on the bodies of their deceased parents, and preserved
their skulls, which they accoutred with gold, and pro-
duced at their annual sacrifices.
Sir John Mandeville, who visited the East in the reign
of our third Edward, described (c. 31) an island called
Rybothe, which was then under the rule of " the grete
Chane", and says that the people had a custom of cutting
up their fathers when dead, and exposing the flesh to
the fowls of the air, which they considered as the " angels
of God"; but the son preserved the skull, which he used
as a goblet. The worthy old Knight reports, " of the
brayn panne he letethe make a cuppe,& thereof dry nkethe
he & his other frendes also, with gret devocioun, in
remembrance of the holy man that the aungeles of God
han eaten ; and that cuppe the sone schalle kepe to
drynken of alle his lif tyme, in remembrance of his fadir."
Major Rennel states that he had seen human skulls,
brought from the temples of Bootan, which were con-
verted into drinking-bowls in the Scythian manner, as
described by Herodotus.
One, perhaps, of the strangest items looted from the
Summer Palace of the Emperor of China at Peking, in
1860, was a drinking-cup formed of the calvaria of the
1 See Numismatic Chronicle (1889), p. 269, from Remusat, Nouv.
Melanges Asiat., i, 205.
ON SKULL-GOBLETS. 237
great philosopher Kung-foo-tse, or Confucius as the
Europeans call him. It was set in gold, and mounted on
a tripod. On it are four figures in faint relief, that on
the frontal portion being the letter A in a Tibetan form
of Sanskrit, referable to about the seventh or eighth
century of the Christian era. This wonderful relic was
deposited in the Chinese Department of the International
Exhibition of 1862; and on Dec. 21, 18G9, Professor
Busk produced it at a meeting of the Ethnological
Society, when some doubts were started regarding the
validity of the celestial tradition that this antique skull
once held the brain of the sapient Kung-foo-tse.
If draughts of human blood and cups of human skulls
were congenial to the tastes and habits of the compara-
tively refined races of Asia, need we marvel that traces
of such tastes and habits are discernible amid the bar-
baric tribes of America and Oceania, and enshrined not
only in song, but preserved in tactile relics. It is stated
in Simmonds' Colonial Magazine (i, 44) that the Maipu-
rishnas, or Cortoipityans (Tapir) Indians, who live near
the Kaphw River, in the interior of Guiana, are reported
to be cannibals who devour the flesh of their slain
enemies, and convert their skulls into drinking-vessels.
The sanguinary passions of the braves of North Ame-
rica are clearly shown in the following war-song from
Bossu's Travels through Louisiana, — "I go to war to
revenge the death of my brother — I shall kill — I shall
exterminate — I shall burn my enemies — I shall bring
away slaves — I shall devour their hearts, dry their flesh,
drink their blood — I shall tear off their scalps, and make
cups of their skulls." And much in the same spirit sings
the Maori warrior, " Is the head of Ruakerepo, indeed,
considered sacred % Why, it shall be given to me as a
pot for boiling shell-fish at Kanau."1
In Eyre's Australia (ii) we read of a " drinking-cup
being the skull of a native with the sutures closed with
wax or gum"; and in the British Museum is a skull-goblet
from the Samoa group, or Navigators' Islands ; and I
1 This song is given in The Story of New Zealand Past and Present,
by A. S. Thomson, M.D., 1860.
1895 17
238 ON SKULL-GOBLETS.
have one which was obtained many years since in the
Marquesas Islands. This calvaria is of an ovate form,
slightly inclining to the platycephalic type, but very ill-
shaped, the right side bulging out much more than the
left does. The sutures are a good deal solid ified, indicat-
ing that the skull must have belonged to "an old
enemy". The edges of the vessel are rather rudely
hacked, but attempt has been made to smooth off a part
to place to the lips. The interior is deeply stained of a
dark chocolate hue, the dye being imparted by the intoxi-
cating beverage called ava or Jcava, the favourite liquor
of the warriors of the South Sea Islands. This rare gob-
let was formerly in the collection of the learned entomo-
logist, the late Thomas Ingall.
From certain expressions in the death-song of Ragnar
Lodbrok it has been inferred that the heroes of Valhalla
were to be provided with brain-pan cups at their ban-
quets. Hence Southey says :
"They thought
One day from Ella's skull to quaff the mead,
Their valour's guerdon."
But Fenn Magnusen and Professor Rask have shown
that the words of the Skald imply that the draught is to
be taken " out of the curved branches of the skull"; in
other words, out of the horns of an animal. Though this
reading deprives the chosen warriors of Odin of a sensa-
tional vessel for carousal, the fact that crania-cups were
used among European nations is too well attested to
admit of doubt. We learn from Livy (xxiii, 24) that the
Boii, one of the most powerful people of Celtic Gaul, were
wont to convert the skulls of their vanquished foes into
drinking-goblets ; and in several of the lake-dwellings of
Switzerland, segments of human skulls have been dis-
covered which have been regarded as drinking-cups.1
Do the bones denuded of their flesh before interment,
and the headless skeletons discovered in some of the
earlier Britannic barrows, point to the practice of canni-
balism, and the use of skull-goblets, among our archaic
tribes V
1 See Dr. R. Munro's Lake-Dwellings of Europe, pp. 537, 542.
- See Bateman's Ten Years' Diggings, pp. 185, 227, 261, 272
ON SKULL-GOBLETS. 239
In the questionable Chronicle of Richard of Cirencester
(i, 8) it is said of the ancient Irish that "the conquerors,
after drinking the blood of the slain, daub their faces
with the remainder"; and General Vallancey (vi, 275)
found reason to believe that they employed human skulls
for drinking-cups.
Mention is made in the Dublin Penny Journal (ii,
216) that a descendant of Mac Carty More, King of
Minister, had in his possession a cup said to be formed of
the cranium of an ancestor of Brien Boiromhe, whom the
Mac Carty had slain in battle. It was highly polished,
and had a silver lid. This is not a solitary instance of
the head of royalty being made to do duty as a goblet,
for we have already seen that the skull of the King of
the Yue-ti was long used as a drinking-cup. In the
mythic legend of Voelund (or, as he is popularly called,
Wayland Smith) it is said that after he had murdered
the two sons of Niduth, King of Sweden, he converted
their skulls into goblets by plating them with silver, and
then sent them as a present to their unsuspecting father.1
And history tells us that the Lombard monarch, Alboi-
nus, having slain in battle Curimund, King of the
Gepida?, employed his skull as a wine-cup, which one day
he had the brutality to offer to his Queen, Posimond (the
daughter of his victim), which so incensed her that she
caused the offender to be assassinated in the year 570.
Crumus, a tyrant of Bulgaria, having taken the Emperor
Nicephorus I prisoner in 811, cut off his head, and made
a drinking-vessel of his skull. And it is related that
Swetoslaw, Duke of Kiov, having fallen by the hands of
the Prince of the Petchenegans in 972, the latter trans-
formed his victim's skull into a goblet.2
If credence is to be given to a suspicious report, the
tiara has met with no more respect than the crown, for
it is affirmed that the Marquis of Curton converted the
skull of Clement VI into a wine-cup, which skull had
1 See Journal, xvi, 53.
2 Could the Calves' Head Club have obtained the cranium of King
Charles 1, they would doubtlessly have converted it into a goblet ; but
failing to do so, they contented themselves with the skull of a calf,
from which they drank at their orgies held on January 30.
172
240 OX SKULL-GOBLETS.
been obtained when tbe Pope's tomb was rifled in
1562.
Crania of all sorts and conditions of mankind have
served as goblets for divers ranks of people. St. Frances,
founder of the Order of Collations, who died in 1440, is
said to have enjoyed her evening draught of dirty water
out of a human skull. In the Hall of Anatomy at Ley-
ded is a drinking-cup made of the skull of a Moor killed
in the beleaguering of Haerlem, 1573.
The rnuscus ex cranio humane- is an old and well-known
recipe for the falling evil, and chin-cough in children, as
John Gerarde tells us in his Herball (ed. 1633, p. 1563);
but it is not so generally known that liquor drank from
a human skull was deemed an antidote to poison, but so
it would appear by the following narrative. Arthur
Agard, in his dissertation on the phrase "Sterling
Money", when speaking of the debased coins of Henry
VIII, Edward VI, and Mary, which were declared to be
no longer current when Queen Elizabeth issued her
amended money in 1559, states that the "Esterlings,
who, being Germans, brought up in the mines there of
silver and copper, were, by Her Majesty's order, for th*
refining of our base coins, brought hither by Alderman
Lodge, with whom I was familiarly acquainted. This he
told me, that most of them in melting fell sick to death
with the savour, so as they were advised to drink from
a dead man's skull for their recure. Whereupon he, with
others, who had the oversight of this work, procured a
warrant from the Council to take off the heads upon
London Bridge, and make cups thereof, out of which they
drank, and found some relief, though although most of
them died."
In Thomas Middleton's play of The Witch (i, 1), the
Duke brings forward a cup formed of a skull, at which
the Governor exclaims, "A skull, my Lord !" When the
Duke replies, —
" Call it a soldier's cup, man !
Fy ! How you fright the women ! I have sworn
It shall go round.
Our Duchess, I know, will pledge us, tho' the cup
Was once her father's head, which as a trophy
We '11 keep till death."
ON SKULL-GOBLETS. 241
Though the penchant for Death's head cups seemed
all but extinct in England by the dawn of the seven-
teenth century, the present age has witnessed a slight
revival of the old taste, for I am informed that the cal-
varia of a French trumpeter, killed during the wars of
the first Napoleon, was, by the order of a Sir John Dash-
wood, lined with gold, the eye-sockets decked with rubies,
and mounted on a foot as a drinking- vessel.1 And Lord
Byron's horrific wine-cup, with its silver rim and foot,
will ever be remembered by the vigorous lines in which
its noble owner makes the defunct once more address
the living, bidding them
" Start not, nor deem my spirit tied.
In me behold the only skull
From which, unlike a living head,
Whatever flows is never dull."
The reckless levity displayed in this beautifully worded
poem evoked a sharp and telling rebuke in verses almost
equally fine, and which, as being well-nigh forgotten, are
here selected as an apposite conclusion to our grim and
ghastly story. They were indited by Mr. T. Moore to
Lord Byron on reading the stanza just referred to :
" Why hast thou bound around with silver trim
This once gay-peopled palace of the soul 1
Look on it now, deserted, bleached, and grim !
Is this, thou feverish man, thy festal bowl 1
" Is this the cup wherein thou seek'st the balm,
Each brighter chalice to thy lip denies 1
Is this the oblivious bowl whose floods becalm
The worm that will not sleep, and never dies %
" Woe to the lip to which this cup is held !
The lip that's palled with every purer draught,
For which alone the rifled grave can yield
A goblet worthy to be deeply quaffed.
" Strip, then, this glittering mockery from the skull,
Restore the relic to its tomb again,
And seek a healing balm within the bowl,
That'blessed bowl that never flowed in vain !"
1 My informant saw this skull, some sixty years since, in the shop
of T. Wirgman, jeweller, St. James' Street.
THE EXCAVATION OF A ROMAN VILLA
IN THE WADFIELD,
NEAK SUDELEY CASTLE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
BY E. P. LOFTUS BROCK, ESQ., F.S.A., HON. TREASURER.
(Bead 3rd April 1895.)
OCCASIONALLY Roman remains are dis-
covered in places where they may be
little expected, and where the presence
of such might be considered unlikely.
While this is so in all portions of Eng-
land, it is more particularly so in Glouces-
tershire. In this favoured county it may
be said with reason that there is no spot, however far
away from any modern track, where the finding of Roman
remains may not be expected. The district around the
little town of Winchcombe would appear to an ordinary
traveller of to-day to be a very unlikely spot for meeting
with traces of Roman occupation, for it is far away from
any known Roman station. But this is not the case.
Roman Gloucester and Worcester, and the line of
approach, the one from the other, are at considerable
distances. Cirencester is also in another direction. No
Roman road of importance traverses the Winchcombe dis-
trict, unless it be the Salt Way, an old track which evi-
dently derives its name from its use in later times, to
bring the salt, by pack-horses, from the Worcestershire
" wiches" into the adjacent districts. After passing
through Worcester its course can be traced along several
modern roadways into the south of England. The Foss-
way traverses part of the Sudeley estate, but it is
several miles away from the Castle.
The town of Winchcombe, which nestles among the
surrounding hills of the Cotswold range, now one of the
ROMAN VILLA IN THE WADFIELD. 243
most inaccessible towns in England, has no present claim
to be considered of Roman origin, for nothing Roman, in
situ, has yet been found there ; and yet its first appear-
ance in history is as the metropolis of the great kingdom
of Mercia. Traces there are to indicate that the disi rid
and the site of the town were occupied in prehistoric
times. These, among other details, consist of the faint
outline of what was possibly a British oppidiun on Lang-
ley Hill, which dominates the town on the north-west ;
and of a huge tumulus, unquestionably of ancient British
origin, on Bellar's Knap ; while flint-flakes and arrow-
heads have been found in large numbers all over the
district.
In comparatively recent years it has become known
that the locality, at any rate to the south-east of the
town, was full of traces of Roman occupation. Let us
consider what Mrs. Dent of Sudeley Castle has said on
this subject : —
" In Spoonley Coppice we have found great quantities of tessera1,
and the remains of what must have been various apartments, each
painted in different coloured frescoes, coins, bones of animals, tusks
of the wild boar, and wood-ashes. (This was before the discovery
of the Spoonley villa.) Tesserae have also been found in the garden
of Sudeley Lanes Farm, adhering to the roots of vegetables, and in
the field opposite the keeper's lodge. In Stancombe Wood also
there must be Roman remains, as there was found the monumental
stone of the Roman soldier. It is to be hoped all these places will
some day be carefully examined."1
In addition to the above there is a notice of the un-
earthing of part of a Roman villa in the Wadfield, about
a mile and a half from the Castle. This is the site of
the recent works of exploration which form the subject
of the present paper. The first discovery took place in
1863, and a certain portion of the field was then exca-
vated. Its discovery is thus described by Mrs. Dent : —
"As usual, this was brought to light through the instrumentality
of the plough, which struck against a stone. Upon the removal
of this and other stones which were then found, a Roman villa was
1 The Annals of Winchcombe and Sudeley, by Emma Dent, p. 15.
The stone referred to is figured in the above book.
244 EXCAVATION OF A ROMAN VILLA
discovered beneath the surface of the soil, the plan of which was
in a perfect state of preservation. It was of the usual form, and,
in addition to the reception-rooms, with hypocaust or hath. The
average dimensions of the rooms were about 15 ft. square, and they
apparently must have been occupied by some individual holding a
high military appointment. The tessellated pavement was as per-
fect as if just completed by the workmen ; but its speedy removal
was found to be absolutely necessary in order to preserve it from
the Winchcombe public, who in the space of one Sunday afternoon
carried off a large portion, in small pieces, as souvenirs. Thanks
to the energy and ability of Mr. Fred. Simmons, bailiff, this valu-
able memento of Roman times was soon safely lodged in the
greenhouse of Sudeley Castle."1
A plan of the lines of walling is given in Mrs. Dent's
book in illustration of the above description.
As if these traces of Roman remains were not suffi-
cient, there exists, about a mile and three-quarters from
the Castle, the magnificent Roman villa in Spoonley
Wood, also on the Castle estate, which has been so admir-
ably excavated at Mrs. Dent's expense, and described by
Professor Middleton.2 While this villa has been carefully
cared for, the beautiful pavements covered over by build-
ings, the roofing of which are the original slates cut to
diamond-shaped ends, and the walls cleared of under-
growth, and protected, the Wadfield villa had been
rilled in and completely covered over, a portion only of
the site having been laid open for a short time.
A few months ago, following upon the exploration of
the site of the celebrated Abbey in the town of Winch-
combe,3 Mrs. Dent determined to have the Wadfield
site thoroughly examined. I was again fortunate in
being invited to superintend the works. The field
showed no traces, above ground, of the existence of wall-
ing beneath ; and the site, high up on the slope of the
hills which terminate in Bellar's Knap, hardly appeared
1 The Annals of Winchcombe and Sudeley, p. 14.
2 Archceologia, Hi, 651. "On a Roman Villa in Spoonley Wood,
Gloucestershire, and on Romano-British Houses generally." By Pro-
fessor J. Henry Middleton, F.S.A. This paper has recently been re-
published in Mrs. Dent's "Additional Illustrations."
See the description of the discoveries then made, Journal of the
Brit. Arch. Assoc.
IN THE WADFIELD. 245
a likely one for a Roman villa. Traces of pottery and
Roman brick scattered over the surface of the ploughed
field, however (doubtless the result of the previous exca-
vations made in it), were visible here and there.
Aided by the estate workmen and others, many of
whom had been engaged at the excavations of the Abbey
and of the Spoonley Wood villa, under the direction of
Mr. Haines, the clerk of works, progress was soon made.
We set out a long trench across the portion of the field
which appeared to have the most irregular surface, and
although, for a long portion of its course, nothing at all
was encountered, yet by working in a straight line at
both ends, portion of a Roman wall was at last encoun-
tered. The trench was then abandoned, and all hands
were set to following the course of the walls, and soon
others and cross-walls were encountered ; and on their
thickness being searched for, entrance was obtained into
the area of the building, and room after room was laid
bare, and thoroughly cleared out, down to the original
floor-levels wherever they could be ascertained. The earth
was wheeled away to a position which, by examination
beforehand, was found not to contain any buildings, and
thus it was not necessary to move it, or any part of it, a
second time, as is not unfrequently the case in similar
excavation-works. By selecting a spot on the slope of
the hill, the work of wheeling was greatly helped, since
the workmen had the benefit of the descent with their
load, while the return along the ascent was made with-
out it.
Following the plan which is always the most economi-
cal for adoption in works of this description, a suffi-
cient quantity of planks for the various " runs", wheel-
barrows, and other appliances, were provided at the
commencement. Nothing, therefore, hindered the rapid
progress of the works when thus once undertaken. The
result is shown on the accompanying plan. The founda-
tions of an interesting Roman villa have been laid bare,
and its ground-plan all but entirely recovered. It should
be compared with Professor Middleton's plan of the
Spoonley Wood villa already referred to. It will be seen
that while it has a singularly close resemblance to it in
•246 EXCAVATION OF A ROMAN VILLA
several particulars, yet it is only a little more than
one halt' the length, from side to side, of the larger
villa.
The plan now exhibited shows the general arrange-
ments. It will be seen that the building consists of a
centre and two wings, enclosing a courtyard 34 ft. wide.
There has been a corridor, of varying widths, on three
sides, abutting on to the courtyard, more or less broken
by cross- walls ; although to the side-corridors some of
the cross-walls may have been the foundation of steps,
necessary owing to the building being on the fairly steep
side of the hill.
The entrance has been in the centre of the central
building, as we may judge by a built-up step of several
stones which remains within the corridor ; but there are
no traces of steps to the external wall ; nor are there,
as at Spoonley Wood, any remaining signs of a paved
path across the courtyard up to their site.
A passage, 6 ft. 2 ins. wide, leads up to a quadrangu-
lar room which projects beyond the back of the building,
and it opens in front, beside the passage, into a large
apartment, 15 ft. 9 ins. wide by 15 ft. It is at a level
below it, but there is no sign of any wall. There is an
arrangement very similar, only that the two apartments
are level and symmetrical, at Spoonley ; and here Pro-
fessor Middleton, with much reason, places the tablinum.
The higher apartment still preserves a pavement of
neatly laid red tesserae ; the lower one possessed fine
mosaic pavement which, from the pattern having been
completed to one half only of its composition, led to the
belief that it was never finished. It is now in one of
the greenhouses at Sudeley Castle, having been taken up
many years ago during the previous excavation.1
At Spoonley a beautiful pavement was found in a
small room (probably the winter triclinium), remarkable
for not being in the centre of the room, but much on one
1 Its pattern is worked a little more than one half, and I am assured
that it was found in this condition. It is shown in colours by the
fourth plate in Mrs. Dent's book already named. Various antiquities
found in 18G3, including the foot of a human statue, of good propor-
tion and execution, are also figured in that work.
>"
Z I
<
o
■0&*'2*>ty
IN THE WADF1ELD. 247
side. It has been suggested that this was to allow
space for the couches and table. May not the occur-
rence of only a portion of mosaic work have been to
allow of the rest of the room to be covered with couches
or furniture, the bare portion alone being filled in with
mosaic %
To the right a hypocaust, with several 'phylce of brick,
was met with. The opening into the hypocaust is from
the long chamber beyond it. Here, most probably, was
the winter triclinium, since the apartment next to it
was, doubtless, the kitchen. A raised mass of masonry
remains, as if for a table. The angle of the wall still
retains a fragment of a floor of red tesserae. Beneath
the table-platform is a large, moulded capital of a half-
octagonal column, built up as old material. Its angles
are badly set out, although the mouldings are neatly
worked. There is a return-chamber beyond, so placed
as to make it difficult to understand how the kitchen
could have been lighted. It was probably from above.
Four more rooms, grouped as shown on the plan, form the
right hand wing. One of these may have been a bath,
since there are traces of an aperture that may have been
a drain ; but these are too slight to determine the use
with any certainty.
The left hand wing at Spoonley is quite separated
from the rest of the building, and it has an external
doorway into the courtyard. The doorway occurs also here
at Wadfield, and one of its stone jambs, rebated for the
door, remains ; but there is no more evidence that the
wing was separated than is the case with the left hand
wing. Unfortunately, hardly in any case are the door-
ways defined, the walls running through where they
may have occurred ; and the walls remain hardly any-
where higher than the floor-levels, except where favoured
by the sloping site. It would appear, however, as if this
wing, instead of being devoted only for the rooms of the
slaves, was of more importance. The walls are, in some
positions, of great thickness, and in some places show
signs of reconstruction and alteration. One of the rooms
has a well-defined hypocaust, probably for a bath, since
there is a raised mass which may have formed a platform
248 EXCAVATION OF A ROMAN VILLA
above the floor-level (now destroyed) for descent of
bathers.
The curious arrangement of the apartments forming
tins wing will be best understood by reference to the plan.
The plan indicates the regularity with which the various
apartments are set out. The lines are not continuous in
every case, and there is much irregularity in the thick-
nesses of the walls; but they are all at right angles with
much exactness to the main portions.
The material is the coarse oolite stone of the neigh-
bourhood,— a stone which is a solid mass of innumerable
globular, fossil animalculi of small but varying size. The
facings are chopped stone not badly squared, and laid in
horizontally, but of irregular-sized blocks. A well-
defined plinth exists where shown on plan, and at the
back of the tabhnum the exterior of the wall, when
opened, preserved some broad, square pointing of mortar
with the joints neatly cut. This was so perfect as rather
to lead to the belief that it was done when the villa was
opened previously. However, an early frost speedily
destroyed it. Ail the mortar was made of poor, chalk-like
lime of no strength. All the walls, internally, have been
plastered, and painted in bright colours, — Pompeian red,
blue, buff, and yellow. Black lines and borders occur,
and indicate that the villa must have been decorated
with considerable taste. The colours are still very bril-
liant on the fragments of fallen plaster thrown up by the
excavators, and a portion remaining on the walls of the
tablinum (a Pompeian red) was equally so when the
work was laid bare.
Beyond the main villa, traces were met with of some
very massive but very irregular walls, one of which was
curved. There was also a roughly paved courtyard.
Some of these walls are shown on the plan ; others were
traced to a considerable distance ; but after many trial-
excavations had been made, their further investigation
was reluctantly abandoned, since the results did not
appear to warrant the outlay. They had been demo-
lished, for the sake of the material, in almost every case
quite down to the foundations, a portion only being left
here and there. While the Spoonley Wood villa was for-
IN THE WADFfELD. 249
tunately abandoned to be buried as it fell, in a mass of
forest growth, this villa has been, on the contrary,
used as a quarry until the wants of the demolishers were
satisfied. A few only of roofing slabs of thin stones
with pointed ends, as at Spoonley, were found ; the re-
mainder had been carted away.
None of the elegant little circular columns found in
such abundance at Spoonley were met with here ; but
there are evidences that moulded stonework existed.
The sketches show a few examples, and the base of a
small column, 7 ins. square, may be one of similar use to
the circular ones at the other villa.. The greater thick-
ness of the corridor- wall to the central portion most pro-
bably was provided for their support.
But few coins have been found, one of which (a third
brass of Arcadius) is now exhibited ; a first brass of
Domitian indicates, however, an earlier period for the
existence of the villa. There was a good deal of pottery
found, of usual types, of buff, black, and with scored
lines, fawn coloured ; a few pieces of granulated ware ;
but only a few fragments, and no more, of Samian ware,
not figured. These are all now preserved at Sudeley
Castle.
It may be well to add a notice of the positions of the
Spoonley Wood villa in relation to that at the Wadfield.
The two are within sight. Spoonley Wood consists of a
tangled mass of timber and undergrowth, at the bottom
of a valley, or nearly so, close to a small rivulet, and the
villa, the walls of which are surrounded by the wood, is
on a level site which has been entirely cleared. The Wad-
field is, on the contrary, high up on the steep slope of the
hill already referred to, the incline being, on an average,
about 1 ft. in 5 ft. It is on ground several hundred feet
higher above the other villa, and about a mile and a
quarter distant, the two sites being separated by a beau-
tiful valley. A capital spring exists about a quarter of
a mile away, known by old tradition, on all the country
side, as " Puck's Well."
From the villa admirable views over the surrounding
country may be obtained on three sides, the fourth beino-
shut in by the still ascending hill, which culminates in
250 EXCAVATION OF ROMAN VILLA.
the ancient tumulus ; but from a position just a little
further to the north a still better view is obtainable over
the present town of Winchcombe and Sudeley Castle,
both low down in the extended valley, and far away
towards the range of the Malvern Hills in the extreme
distance. Why this spot, in preference to the other,
was not selected, may be explained possibly by some
small amount of easier communication with the larger
villa in the valley and with the spring.
While the less important portions of the villa have
been filled in again for preservation, the more important
parts have been kept open for observation, the Avails
being preserved from damage by the elements by being-
covered on top by the largest of the old stones found,
and placed loose on them.
The villa stands, with its courtyard, facing all but due
east, the two wings being respectively south and north.
The east front faces the valley and the prospect, and the
west looks only upon the side of the ascending hill, at
present quite bare and bleak ; but it may have been laid
out with gardens in Roman times.
I can hardly conclude without making some reference
to the munificence of the lady owning the soil. Not con-
tent with the costly work of the investigation of the
Spoonley Wood villa and of Winchcombe Abbey, this is
now a third work undertaken in the interests of archa3o-
logical science, and the thanks of all antiquaries are
surely due to her for her generous expenditure of thought
and means.
THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA
SABINA IN ROME.
RY S. RUSSELL-FORBES, PH.D.
{Head 6th March 1895.)
HE Church of Santa Sabina, on the Aven-
tine Hill, was founded by an Illyrian
priest named Peter, in a.d. 425, partly on
the site of Camillus' Temple of Juno
Regina. Consecrated by Sixtus III in
a.d. 432, it belongs to the Order of Saint
Dominic.
Leading into the church from the vestibule of the
Monastery are a handsome pair of doors with panels in
cedar of Lebanon wood, carved in relief with scenes from
the Old and New Testament. The panels are set in
frames of cypress, composed of vine-leaves, illustrating
Our Lord's words, " I am the vine". These carved panels
are the earliest specimen of Christian carved woodwork
in existence, and are of the time of Sixtus III (a.d. 432-40),
agreeing in style with the mosaics of this Pope in Santa
Maria Maggiore, and, like them, classical in their treat-
ment : both of which are a great advancement on the
fourth century tempera daubs of the Catacombs, and
both introduce fresh subjects into Christian art. The
style and subjects of these panels agree with the sculp-
tured sarcophagi of the same period in the Lateran. The
vine-frames are later than the panels ; we believe re-
mountings of the thirteenth century.
There are five rows of sculptured panels, alternately
small and large ; eighteen in all, four in a row, two of
the small ones in the last row being lost, the top row
commencing with small panels.
I propose calling attention to these ancient reliefs,
252 DOORS OF THE CHURCH
taking the different rows in order, commencing at the
top left hand panel. There is no proper sequence in the
way that they are now placed ; probably their original
order was very different, the present one dating from the
time that they were set in their existing vine-frames.
Various descriptions of the subjects of these panels have
been published. Many of the scenes are obvious, but
none of the descriptions given are altogether correct.
We give a new and correct interpretation of several
(marked *), and we have also assigned their correct
date. The bracket numbers refer to the Plates.
(1.) The Crucifixion. — "Then were there two thieves
crucified with him ; one on the right hand, and another on
the left." (Matt, xxvii, 38.) This is the oldest representa-
tion of the crucifixion in existence, and perhaps the first.
The Saviour is made larger than the thieves. This is to
show His divinity, following pagan art. In the back-
ground is a building with three pediments, one for each
subject. All three have their arms bent, not stretched
out, as the figures of the Orante in the Catacombs. The
crosses are not distinctly shown, the figures hiding them ;
but the top of the cross can be seen above the head of
the repentant thief, and the extremities of the arms of
the cross of the other thief. The Saviour has no nimbus ;
the head follows the traditional likeness, with long hair,
beard, and moustaches. The figures are nude, with the
exception of a slight girdle.
(2.) Mary Alphceus and Mary Magdalene at the Sepulchre.
— "Came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake :
for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven." (Matt,
xxviii, 1.) Here the angel is represented larger tlmn the
women, who have their heads veiled. The tomb in the
background consists of a pediment, in which is a window,
and a circular archway.
(3.) Adoration of the Magi. — " They saw the young child
with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped
him : and when they had opened their treasures they
presented unto him gifts." (Matt, ii, 11.) Mary is seated
on a sort of throne at the top of a flight of steps ; the
three Magi have the Persian cap and trowsers. They
Plate I.
L. Hand.
Top.
CARVINGS ON THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA SABINA AT ROME.
OF SANTA SABINA. 253
were, doubt] ess, Persian astronomers and sun-worshippers,
following maoism, or the worship of the elements. Such
figures of the Magi, or priests, may be seen on ancient
reliefs.
(4.) * Christ receiving Santa Sabina. — This panel is
divided by two palm-trees into three compartments, each
of which is occupied by a figure. The palm signifies a
martyr. All three here represented were martyrs. In the
centre is the Saviour with a nimbus round His head.
The right hand is extended in the act of blessing the
Saint, who occupies the left compartment. Our Lord
holds in His left hand a fish. This is symbolical of Him-
self, and shows who the figure is intended for. We find
this symbol in the Catacombs. If we take the Greek
word for a fish, IX0T2, and write the letters vertically,
they form the initials of Jesus Christ, Son of God, the
Saviour. To the right is St. Peter, the namesake of the
founder of the church ; his head is turned towards the
Saviour, and it is surrounded with a nimbus. To the
left is Santa Sabina, to whose memory the church was
dedicated ; her hands are clasped together, and her knee
is slightly bent in reverence as she receives her Lord's
blessing and acceptance. A nimbus surrounds her head.
The circular nimbus round these heads shows that the
figures have departed this life ; if they were living the
nimbus would be rectangular. This was an old pagan
symbol of regal power. For example, we find it round
the head of Juno Regina (112 in the Braccia Nuova of
the Vatican), and round the head of Hadrian in coins,
and in his medallion reliefs on the Arch of Constantine,
exactly as these nimbuses are represented in this carved
panel. These nimbuses here are its earliest representa-
tion in Christian sculptured art, as its appearance in the
mosaics of Sta. Maggiore are the first in pictorial art ;
they are contemporary. There they follow pagan tradi-
tion, and are placed round the heads of David, Jesus, the
Magi, and Herod, as kings ; but here is the new depar-
ture,— glory round the heads of the sanctified. All the
women in the other panels have their heads veiled
because they are Orientals. Here Santa Sabina is not
veiled because it was not a Western custom.
1895 is
254 DOORS OF THE CHURCH
The next set of panels are long ones. The first repre-
sents the three miracles of Canaan.
(5.) * Christ and the Woman of Canaan. — "Truth, Lord:
yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their
masters' table." (Matt, xv, 27.) Christ has in His hand
the rod of power ; behind Him is a building with a gable
roof; the woman has her hand extended, in the act of
speaking ; below is the miracle which followed.
(6.) The Multiplication of the Bread. — "And they took
up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full."
(Matt, xv, 37.) There are three fish on the border below.
Christ is touching one of the baskets with His rod. The
loaf in each basket is of the same shape as those used in
Rome to-day, and they have the cross upon them, like
hot cross-buns. This is the first appearance of the cross
in Christian art. Beneath is
(7,) Turning the Water into Wine. — "There were set
there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the puri-
fying of the Jews." (John ii, 6.) Here the sculptor departs
from the truth, and shows seven pots. This is evidently
done to correspond with the seven baskets above.# In
these two subjects we have a symbolical picture of the
Lord's Supper, the bread and wine representing the body
and blood of Christ, the fish on the border representing
Jesus. Our Lord holds Plis rod over the jars.
The next panel commences with
(8.) Moses at the Waters ofMarah. — " The Lord showed
him a tree which, when He had cast into the waters, the
waters were made sweet." (Exodus xv, 25.) Moses
stands in the centre ; on the right is the hand of the
Almighty ; to the left an oak tree. Beneath is
(9.) Fed with Quails.—" At even the quails came up, and
covered the camp." (Exodus xvi, 13.) Three figures are
sitting at a table upon which is a plate of quails. Below,
(10.) They did eat Manna. — " This is the bread which
the Lord hath given you to eat." (Exodus xvi, 15.) Three
figures are seated at a table ; right and left are standing
figures in armour ; in front of the left man is a measure
(omer). Under is
(1 1 .) The Waters ofHoreb. — "Thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come water out of it, that the people may
Plate II.
Top.
R. Hand.
17
CARVINGS ON THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA SABINA AT ROME.
OF SANTA SABINA. 255
drink." (Exodus xvii, 6 ; Numbers xx, 11.) Moses stands
in the centre ; on the right is the hand of the Creator ;
to the left, water rushes out of the rock.
The next long panel is one scene,
(12.)* The Ascension of Christ.— At the top are two angels
supporting the Saviour ; one sustains His head, the other
holds Him by the hands ; to the right is an angel saying
to four apostles below, " Why stand ye gazing up into
heaven ?" (Acts i, 11.) Only one of the disciples is stand-
ing, the other three are cast down in amazement. This
is the earliest representation of the ascension of Our Lord.
The next panel represents
( 1 :\.) TheGlorij of Christ and the Church. — Christ stands
within a wreath of bay, signifying his triumph, supported
by the emblems of the four Evangelists, their earliest
use in art. A nimbus surrounds His head, and on the
sides are A w ; below is a female figure looking up ; she
represents the Church of Christ; on either side are Peter
and Paul holding a wreath above her head ; in the sky
are the sun, moon, and stars.
The next row are small panels.
(14.) * Peter 's Confession of Christ. — "Blessed art thou,
Simon Bar-jona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matt,
xvi, 17.) Christ is on the left, with His hand extended
towards His first convert, St. Peter, whose head is bowed,
and whose hands are held slightly apart, and open, as
though receiving ; behind this figure are two others with
heads erect. The head of Our Lord is surrounded by a
nimbus, which contains the sacred monogram, T, the top
of the letters just showing above His head.
The next is
(15.) Christ's Appearance to the twoMaries. — "Behold,
Jesus met them, saying, All hail !" (Matt, xxviii, 9.) The
three figures are divided by trees, which represent the
garden. Jesus has His right hand extended, hailing the
women, who are in a similar position.
The next scene is
(16.) Peter s Denial. — "Jesus said unto him, Verily I
say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou
shalt deny me thrice." (Matt, xxvi, 34.) Our Lord is
18 n-
256 POOTJS OF THE OHUF< IT
on the left, with His right hand extended towards Peter,
who has his hands out, as if expostulating. To the right
is the cock on a column, the conventional mode of repre-
sentation.
Then follows
(17.) Daniel in the Lions' Den, with Habhacuc bringing
him the pottage, taken from the story of Bel and the
Dragon. " Then the angel of the Lord took him by the
crown, and bare him by the hair of his head." (Apoc. v,36.)
To the left isHabbacuc carrying the tray of food; the angel
floats above him, having hold of his hair. To the right
is Daniel,* in the character of Orpheus, in a rocky cave,
by whose side are an ox and goat; a dog springs towards
Habbacuc. This part of the scene is evidently suggested
from the story of Ganymede as told by Orpheus. (Ovid,
Met., 10, 4.)
The next is a series of long panels ; the first to be
read from the bottom upwards.
(18.) "Now Moses kept the flock ofJethro his father-in-
law." (Exodus iii, 1.) — This is the scene at the bottom of
the panel. The sheep are well executed, some browsing,
some reclining. Moses looks up and sees the burning
bush .
(19.) "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet." (Exodus iii,
5.) — The bush is to the right; the Lord, as an angel,
addresses Moses, who is seated, taking off his shoes ;
above are two figures ; to the right, the hand of God
comes out from the cloud with the roll of the law.
(20.) Moses receiving the Law. — " Thou shalt come up,
thou, and Aaron with thee." (Exodus xix, 24.) Moses is
holding up his cloak to receive the law from the hand of
the Almighty.
The next subject is
(21.) The Story of Zacharias. — "And there appeared
unto him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side
of the altar of incense." (Luke i, 11.) " When he came
out he could not speak unto them ; and they perceived
that he had seen a vision in the temple." (Luke i, 22.) At
top is a rectangular church surmounted with a cross ;
behind it are two tall bell-towers,* probably representing
the church of Santa Sabina. Zacharias stands at the
Plate III.
L. Hand. Bottom.
CARVINGS ON THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA SABINA AT ROME.
**,
OF SANTA SABINA. 257
entrance with his hands extended; the angel Gabriel
(Luke i, 19) is to the right ; below are two rows of three
men in each row, looking up in astonishment.
The next panel shows scenes in Egypt, commencing
from the bottom.
(22.) The first Wonder. — "For they cast down every man
his rod, and they became serpents, but Aaron's rod swal-
lowed up their rods." (Exodus vii, 12.) On the left is
Aaron with his rod pointed to the heads of the serpents ;
to the right is Pharaoh with his hand upon the hilt of
his sword ; between them are two serpents erect upon
their tails.
(23.) Destruction of Pharaoh. — The Egyptians are over-
whelmed in the sea, whilst (above) the Israelites have
safely made the transit ; at the top, on the right, is the
hand of God, then the pillar of fire, and on the left the
angel of the Lord. (Exodus xiv.)
The next panel represents
(24.) The Ascension of Elijah. — "There appeared a
chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both
asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
(II Kings ii, 11.) " Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah."
(V., 13.) " The sons of the prophets came to meet him,
and bowed themselves to the ground before him." (V., 15.)
This scene is graphically depicted. At the top is an angel
with a rod hovering above Elijah, who looks up to him
as the chariot ascends. The angel touches his mantle
with the rod, and it falls to Elisha below, who is looking
up at the strange sight ; beneath Elisha are the sons of
the prophets, one bowed down to the ground, the other
is turned away in amazement ; the Prophet stands upon
a sort of altar.
The two central, small panels of the next row are miss-
ing. The first (which remains) at the side represents
(25.) Jesus before Pilate. — "He took water and washed
his hands before the multitude." (Matt.xxvii,24.) " They
found a man of Gyrene, Simon by name : him they com-
pelled to bear his cross." (V., 32.) Pilate is seated on
the left, in front of him is an attendant pouring out the
water ; to the right is Jesus, His hands bound, with
Simon bearing the cross behind Him.
258
DOORS OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA SABINA.
The last panel represents
(26.) Christ before Oaiaphas. — Jesus has His hand
raised as He stands before the seated high priest, and is
evidently saying " Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man
sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven." (Matt, xxvi, 64.)
We notice a marked improvement in the hundred
years between the earliest Christian relief on the Arch
of Constantine, and the reliefs on these doors ; and we
can also note that the youthful representation of Our
Lord on the fourth century sarcophagi has developed
into the mature man with beard and moustache, and that
His head has become a portrait henceforth accepted as
the received type in art.
The natural sequence of the subjects would be —
Daniel
Moses keeping
the Flocks
Before Pilate
Story of Zacha-
rias
Maries at Se-
pulchre
Missing
Scenes in Egypt
Peter's Denial
Miracles in Ca-
naan
Adoration
Scenes in the
Wilderness
Before Caiaphas
Ascension of
Christ
Christ
ing
appear- Missing
Confession
Ascension of
Elijah
Crucifixion
Christ and the
Church in
Glory
Receiving Santa
Sabina
Perhaps the first subject was the Birth of Christ ; the
second, the Adoration ; the third, the Baptism ; then the
last line would be Daniel (a type of the resurrection),
Maries at sepulchre, Christ appearing to them, receiving
Santa Sabina.
Plate IV.
Bottom. r Hand.
CARVINGS ON THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA SABINA AT ROME.
*■
SOM E
POINTS OF CONTROVERSY ON THE ROMAN
ROAD NEAR BLACKSTONE EDGE.
BY HENRY COLLEY MARSH, ESQ., M.D., l'.s.A.
(Read at the Manchester Congress, 1894.)
HERE are three roads over Blackstone
Edge, — (i) the modern road, (ii) an old
road still visible in places, and (iii) the
paved or Roman road. It was the old
road that Ogilby travelled upon and
mapped and described in 1675. The
paved way was then hardly known. It
was probably covered with peat.
In 1732, Horsley, speaking of Roman roads in Britain,
says, " When I passed Blackstone Edge I was surprised
to see how much the causeway there was below the
surface"; and in 1781 Tim Bobbin (John Collier), who
was ridiculing Whitaker's account of Roman antiquities in
Lancashire, and his description of a Roman road on the
Pennine Hills, says " The tops of many of these hills,
over which the road must necessarily pass, are so very
mossy, boggy, or quaggy, that the spongy surface is
entirely impassable for a horse ; so there is not the least
probability that ever any British, Roman, or English
road ever went that way ; and had a Roman road taken
this course, it must have been cut through on making the
new road, which the Romans never excelled for the length
of it ; yet neither gravelly road, stone pavement, nor any
other vestige of any road appeared."
This existent but then unapparent road climbs straight
up the hill to an altitude 200 ft. higher than the sum-
mit of the other two roads. It is built on a foundation
of rubble, and is drained by a deep fosse on each side.
260 POINTS OF CONTROVERSY ON THE ROMAN ROAD
Its cross-section is arched so as to throw water from, and
not towards, the centre. It is paved in regular courses, is
edged by curb-stones, and is crowned by a line of massive
blocks, of which few can weigh less than half a ton.
Because the central stones are all hollowed by a longitu-
dinal furrow or trough, they are usually called "the
trough-stones"; and it has often been observed that the
bottom of this furrow is not caviform, but is convex.
The entire width of the road is 16 ft. ; but omitting
the lateral curb-stones and the central trough-stones, it
may be regarded as consisting of twin roads, each 6 ft. wide.
Roman Road over Blackstone Edge.
Wheel-ruts exist which show a distance between the
wheels of 4^ ft., and a width of tire of about 2 ins. They
further show that wagons travelled ou the road in three
different positions: 1, in the absolute middle, so that the
horse walked in the trough or furrow, and so contributed
to its excavation ; 2, in the middle of each side-road ;
and 3, in such wise, that whilst one wheel of a wagon
OVER BLACKSTONE EDGE. 261
was on one or other of the twin- roads, the other Avheel
was in the great central groove.
The gradient is considerable, amounting, through a
length of 300 yards, to 1 in 4f, which is steeper than the
Rigi Railway : hence, when wagons were used, some
sort of skidding was imperative.
Such is the road. History carries it back, unused and
buried beneath a peaty soil, to 1675. What people before
that time, unless the Romans, would have constructed a
road so massive, so costly, so entirely Roman in every
feature ?
But, to show how all these things have been contro-
verted, the following extracts have been made from
printed materials : —
Mr. Henry Cunliffe wrote : " No authority exists for
attributing the road to Roman origin, and whosoever
so refers it incurs the risk of aiding and abetting a
delusion." He declared that the stones of the pavement
were not laid in courses, that no wheel-ruts were visible
upon them, and that the road was made only for horses,
who had worn out by their feet (as pack-horses often do)
the central furrow.
On the other hand, Mr. J. Wilson, of Kendal, wrote :
" The idea of tiles of laden pack-horses keeping to a
narrow, slippery channel in travelling up and down a
steep hill with a gradient of 1 in 5, when there was the
choice of a broad paved way with good foothold at each
side, seems absurd, and of all the theories that have been
put forward is the most unlikely."
Mr. Cunliffe rejoined that, " A hundred years ago,
when there was no other way of communication for pass-
engers or traffic, it must have been a very busy route.
The stones were most probably placed there to fill up a
miry trough caused by incessant- trampling, and to form
a new footpath for long strings of horses. A horse's step",
he continues, " is inward as well as downward, and this
action would tend to make the groove narrower as it
deepened ; and the dished sides at the bottom are caused
by the scraping of the oval-shaped shoe. By these
means the harder stones are bevelled downwards, whilst
the softer stones bevel upwards."
262 POINTS OF CONTROVERSY ON THE ROMAN ROAD
Mr. Cunliffe further published carefully chosen sections
of the furrow on four genuine pack-horse tracks, which
naturally bore much resemblance to the Roman-road
furrow, in which horses have certainly walked ; but all
four of them were destitute of the peculiar convex base.
Dr. Torrop of Heywood, also thought that " the road
was built at two different times. First, the central
stones were put down, and a causey formed, which was
used by pack-horses, and afterwards a wide road on each
side was paved for wagons."
Of those who have stoutly held that the trough-stones
were originally hollowed by the hand of man, some
averred that this was done to provide a channel or drain
for water. Others rejected this view, like Mr. John
Carrie of Bolton, who wrote, "the groove is undoubtedly
man's handiwork, and was constructed to hold in posi-
tion a trolly or low wagon."
And Mr. Thompson Watkin, author of Roman Lanca-
shire, who said "the groove is plainly the work of a
stonemason", also thought it was contrived to hold in
place the central wheel of a special kind of carriage.
Mr. Watts, the practical engineer of the Oldham
Waterworks, declared that " much labour had been
bestowed in forming the central channel or groove"; and
he further believed that the trough was constructed in
order to form a " guide-track for vehicles, one wheel being
run in the furrow, to prevent the horse from dragging
the wagon off the road at night, or in foggy weather."
Mr. Morgan Brierley of Saddleworth, who was of the
same opinion, added that it would be "a security against
vehicles slipping off the road when it was coated with ice."
Lieut. -Col. Sharratt wrote : " It is the work of the
mason's chisel, imitating on hard stone the tread of the
human foot upon softer substances ; and the groove was
excavated to fit the pliable Roman sandal, so as to serve
for a guide-track in which a competent official should be
able, during the darkness of night, to direct the course
of Roman soldiers over the swampy mountain."
The undisputed fact that a furrow with a central con-
vexity can be worn by human feet led Mr. G. Esdaile to
believe that the groove was entirely formed in that way.
OVER BLACK STONE EDGE. 263
" The Roman soldier", he argued, " wore a heavy, nail-
shod, wooden shoe ; and the common people wore clogs,
also well nailed ; and these, walking on the central
stones, wore out the trough."
That the crowning line of massive stones was laid
down as a footpath for mankind was also the view of
Mr. Chas. Renshaw, who considered that " the convexity
of the furrow was caused by the tread of human feet, the
portion between the feet sustaining less wear and tear."
A very different explanation, advanced by C. C S.,
was that " the groove was made for a chain to run in, by
which means the ascending wagon was drawn up,
assisted by the descending wagon on the other side of
the Edge, the whole being regulated by a horse-gin at
the top."
Mr. James Dronsfield of Oldham, thought that the
appearances were caused by the use of " a frost-chain of
square links, about 2 ft. long, which in some places is
fastened in front of a locked wheel, and so acts as a
brake. This would account for the groove's doubly fur-
rowed base, as sometimes one wheel would be scotched,
and sometimes another."
Mr. A. C. Haire observed that in certain parts of the
country, " instead of using skids when descending a hill
with loaded carts, they attach to the tail of the cart, by
a chain, a kind of rough sledge filled with stones. This
would produce a groove similar to the one in question."
J. S. of Hey wood, said " it is plain, upon examination,
that the groove is artificial, and it appears to have been
formed by some kind of friction, caused probably by the
wheels of small trollies for carrying stone from quarries
on the top of the hill."
Lastly, Mr. Fred. Moorhouse wrote that " in Halifax
the sides of a portion of two old, narrow, steep streets,
Russell Street and Gaol Lane, are paved with large
blocks, about the same size as those forming the channel
at Blackstone Edge. Through the action and wear of
skidded cartwheels they present, in many places, a similar
trough to that on the Roman road. The resemblance is
very striking to any one who has seen both."
The present writer has pointed out that, although
26 I POINTS OF CONTROVERSY, ETC.
some kind of skidding was necessarily practised, no sign
of it can be detected in the wheel-ruts, and that any-
such indication must be looked for in the central trough.
By taking the middle one of the three ruts that exist on
each side-way, and by measuring 4^ ft. inwards, it is evi-
dent that the companion of the wheel that made it must
have travelled in the central furrow, and yet no corre-
sponding wheel-rut is there visible. The furrow, however,
in almost every part of it, bears witness to a planing
action. There is no breaking away of the edges of con-
tiguous stones, as in pack-horse tracks. Faint groovings
are to be seen, especially on the sides of the furrow,
which pass from stone to stone. These lateral striations
are more marked sometimes on the one side and some-
times on the other side of the furrow. The floor of the
furrow is usually not cup-shaped, but presents two longi-
tudinal hollows, of which one is often deeper than the
other ; and many of the quartz pebbles that stud the
gritstone, so far from having been knocked out, as in
pack-horse tracks, by the feet of horses, are manifestly
worn down by attrition. These are some of the facts
which make it probable that the wheel which travelled
in the central trough was braked or skidded.
'4/i
■<&
m
VISITATIONS OF THE PLAGUE
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE.
IN
I5Y WILLIAM B. A. AXON.
(Mead at tin Mnncln sin- < '"tigress, 1894.)
URING the Middle Ages, and indeed far
into the modern period, Europe was
subject to awful visitations of disease
which are referred to under the general
name of plague and pestilence, although
the successive epidemics may not have
been, and in some instances we know
were not, identical in character. The bubo-plague, how-
ever, has a recorded existence in this country from the
middle of the fourteenth to the middle of the seventeenth
century, and Lancashire and Cheshire shared in the
Black Death, and in one slight instance in the plague of
1665. More than fifty visitations of plague between
these two dates are recorded. Lancashire generally is
said to have suffered in 1349, 1485, and 1500, and no
doubt both counties were involved in the calamity of the
Black Death. The plague visited Blackburn and Bolton
in 1623 ; Chester in 1507, 1517, 1551, 1558, 1574, 1603,
1605, 1610, 1647, and 1654; Cockerham in 1650;
Congleton in 1603 and 1641 ; Dalton, Biggar, and
Walney in 1631 ; Hawkshead in 1577 ; Kirkham in
1630; Lancaster in 1423; Liverpool in 1540, 1558,
1610, 1647-8, 1650, and 1661; Macclesfield in 1603,
1605, and 1646 ; Malpas in 1625 ; Manchester in 1565,
1588, 1594, 1605, 1608, 1631, and 1645; Nantwich in
1604 ; Northwich in 1576; Preston in 1562 and 1630 ;
Rochdale in 1623; Stockport in 1605; Tarvin in 1608
266 VISITATIONS OF THE PLAGUE IN
and 1654; Ulverston in 1551; Whiston in 1652; and
Wilmslow in 1665. For some of the visitations there
are many details, both as to the extent of the mortality
and as to the methods by which the authorities sought
to remedy or mitigate the evil. There are also par-
ticulars as to the precautions taken in some years when
plague was apprehended, but, fortunately, did not appear.
Nor are these notes at all likely to be exhaustive, for the
accidental character of the records is very striking, and
more data will certainly reward further search. Thus,
of the pestilences that preceded the Black Death there
are no local records, and only one solitary Lancashire
document remains regarding that visitation which more
than decimated the population, which emptied towns,
which left lands and farms derelict, and had important
results, social, religious, and economical.1
The Black Death, which travelled westward by the
trade routes, reached England at Melcombe Begis in
the autumn of 1348, and its spread was facilitated by
continuous wet weather from midsummer to Christmas.
The benences in the dioceses of Chester were about
seventy in number, and from June to September 1349,
there were thirty institutions. In August there was a
new prioress at St. Mary's, Chester, and a new prior at
Norton. In Bucklow manor there were 215 acres of
arable land lying waste in 1350, and for which no tenants
could be found. Forty-six tenants had died of the
plague, and thirty-four were in arrears. One-third of
the rent was remitted on this manorial estate. In 1350
there was a disputed account between the Dean of
Amounderness and the Archdeacon of Bichmond as to
fees received between September 1349, and January 11th,
1350. The record alleges that there died at Preston
3,000 persons ; at Kirkham 3,000 ; at Pulton 800 ; at
1 The authorities for this paper are : — Hecker's Epidemic* of the
Middle Ayes; Gasquet's Great Pestilence: Baines's Lancashire;
Ormerod's Cheshire; Earwaker's Fast Cheshire; Picton's Liverpool;
Hollingworth's Mancuniensis ; Hall's Nantivich ; Head's Congleton ;
Manchester Court Leet Records and Manchester Constable's Accounts,
ed. by Earwaker ; English Historical Review 1890-91, etc. ; Creighton's
Hist, of Epidemics ; etc,
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. 267
Lancaster 3,000 ; at Garstang 2,000 ; at Cockerham
1,000 ; at Lythara 140 ; at St. Michael's-on-Wyre 80 ;
at Pulton GO. Probably of the two Pultons the first is
Poulton, near Lancaster, and the second Poulton-le-Fylde.
But, unfortunately, no reliance can be placed on these
figures, nor can their manifest exaggeration be reduced
by any definite system into credible proportions. The
chapel of St. Mary Magdalen, Preston, remained unserved
for six weeks, and nine benefices were vacated. At
Lytham the priory was vacant, as was that of Oartmel.
One curious glimpse of the economic condition of Lanca-
shire we obtain from the famous Statute of Labourers,
which was passed to prevent the increase of wages arising
from the scarcity of labourers caused by the Black Death.
While prohibiting workmen from leaving their homes in
search of higher pay, the statute makes some exceptions.
In common with the men of the counties of Stafford and
Derby, the people of Craven, and those of the Welsh and
Scotch Marches, the Lancashire labourers were allowed
to go elsewhere in search of employment during the
harvest " as they were wont before this time", and as
the Irish harvestmen do at this day. Hollingworth
records that in 1352 the churchyard of Didsbury was
dedicated for the burial of such as died of the plague
in that and the adjoining hamlet, on account of the
distance from the parish church of Manchester. Unless
there is a mistake in the date, this is not easy to under-
stand, as Dr. Creighton declares that "from 1349 to
1361 there is no record of pestilence in England".
As a typical epidemic, we may take the plague in
Manchester in 1645. By an ordinance of Parliament,
dated December 9th, 1645. it appears that it had raged
with such violence that for many months none had been
permitted to come in or go out of the town. Its effects
had been so dreadful that the ordinance says : " Most of
the inhabitants living upon trade are not only ruined in
their estates, but many families are like to perish for
want, who cannot sufficiently be relieved by that
miserably wasted country." In relief of their distressed
situation, a collection, by order of Parliament, was made
for the poor of Manchester in all the churches and chapels
268 VISITATIONS OF THE PLAOUE IN
of London and Westminster. The registers of the
Collegiate Church show the ravages of this epidemic : —
Burials in 1644, October 21, November 38, December 28,
January 18, February 22 ; 1645, March 20, April 24,
May 61, June 135, July 172, August 310, September
266, October 112, November 49, December 23, January
11, February 28; 1646, March 14, April 12, May 5,
June 10, July 8, August 12, September 6. The number
of funerals on particular days shows how deadly were
the results : —
164;"), August 9th, 19 funerals.
„ 22nd, 20 „.
„ 28th, 18 „
„ September 2nd, 28 „
There is a memorandum made in August : " There was
no more christening in this month [there had been only
one] by reason of the extremitie of the sicknessies." The
remark is made in September that " The same reason is
to be given in respect to this month." In October we
are told — " The extremitie of the sicknesse was the cause
why baptisme was altogether deferred this whole month".
And on November 11th, 1645, it is noted — "Alice,
daughter of James Bradshaw of Manchester, bap. att
Chorlton in the sickness time." In the marriage register
for September is this remark : — " There was not anie at all
by reasoun of the sicknesse was soe greate." The Rev.
Adam Martindale, in his "Autobiography", has this
anecdote of his mother-in-law : — "A publick fast day
was held at Blackley chappell on the behalf of poor
Manchester. The place of reception being very strait for
so great a congregation, this good woman and another who
was also a fashionable person had but one* seate betweene
them, so they sometimes stood and sometimes sate by
turns, and at night the other woman died of the plague :
which I have heard my mother-in-law say never put her
into any fright, but being satisfied she was in her May
of duty she confidently cast herself on God's protection
and was accordingly preserved." The following entries
in the constable's accounts illustrate this epidemic : —
"November 22 [1645] Becd fro ye Countie in ye tyme
of the visitation for wich we haue given an accompte to
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. 269
ye Justices 918-00-00." "July 11, 1645, pd souldiers
for goinge to Collihurst to reforme disorders there
00-02-00." Mr. Earwaker thinks that there must have
been some disturbance at the plague cabins there located.
"Sept. 26, pd. to Doctor Smith for his charges to
London and a free guift, 04-00-00. Pd. Doctor Smith
for pte of his wages for his serviece in ye tyme of
visitaion 39-00-00."' " Dec. 16, pd. Tho. Minshule for
apothecarie stuffe for ye towries service 06-02-06."
"Feb. 14, 1645-6, pd. Roger Haddocke for gathering'
up ve Counties money for our infected poore 05-01-00.
Pd. that was charged upon the town in ye visitaion
32-09-03." Among those who suffered most from this
visitation was the family of John Radcliffe, of the Pool,
a moated hall, the site of which is indicated by the name
of Pool Fold. Two of his children, William and Mary,
were buried on the 13th June in that year ; of the five
children he names in his will, all but the youngest,
Sarah, were buried within the next fortnight. His will
is dated 19th June, and is written entirely in the
testator's own hand, even the witnesses to this document
not daring to come nearer to the infected house than
" the west side of the poole". From this position "they
saw and heard" the plague-stricken man " signe, seale,
and publish" the same in their presence, but separated
from them by the width of the moat. John Radcliffe
was buried at the Collegiate Church on the 2Sth June,
his only surviving son and heir on 30th of June, his
younger daughter (Margaret) on 27th of June, his eldest
daughter (Anne) on 1st July. His youngest daughter,
Sarah, became her father's sole heiress, and carried his
estates into the family of Alexander of Manchester.
She was, at the time of the plague, only three years of
age, and was the only survivor of a family of eleven
children, born between 1629 and 1642. The great
plague of 1665 did not affect the provinces so greatly as
some preceding epidemics, but there is a gravestone at
Lindow Common which marks the resting-place of
E. Stonaw, who died, as the Wilmslow register states,
17th July, at her own house, "she being suspected to
die of the plague, she but coming home the day before".
1895 19
270
VISITATIONS OF THE PLAGUE, ETC.
The causes of the extinction of* the plague in this
country are probably to be sought in the general
improvement in sanitation and in the mode of life of the
people. There can be no doubt that the pestilence found
powerful allies within the communities it decimated.
There is still much to be done, but enormous progress
has been made in the direction of rendering town life
healthier than it was in the " good old times".
THE HILL OF TARA.
by u. H. Mcdonald, esq.
[Read February 20th, 1895.)
AM a great deal indebted in the following
paper, which only attempts roughly to
deal with a very wide subject, to the
Rev. Denis Hanan, Rector of Tipperary,
a very clever Irish archaBologist, who is
the prime instigator and chief worker in
the explorations at Tara now under con-
sideration, and a good deal of the descriptive portions of
the paper is from materials furnished by him after a visit
to Tara, published in an article in the Banner of Israel,
in 1886. Explorations are contemplated at this historic
spot very shortly, and, whatever the results, which
undoubtedly will be rich from the archaeologist's point of
view, they will mainly be due to the untiring efforts of
this gentleman, who for years has been working with a
view to these excavations.
Tara, as it is now called, or Tarah, Teamhair, Tea-mur,
Taragh, and Teamhrah, as it has variously been called
by Irish historians and bards, is a hill of no great height,
about twenty-four miles from Dublin, and is celebrated
as having been for centuries the site of the fortress or
palace, and the coronation place of the ancient kings of
Ireland. It, and the hill of Skreen, are almost the only
breaks on the flat monotony of the surrounding country.
Tara is a verdant, moundish, flowing, outlined mass,
about three-quarters of a mile in length from north to
south, and rather less than half a mile in extreme
breadth. It is covered with earthworks of the kind
common in Ireland, namely, circular raths or forts, and
on the mound in the centre of the principal of these is a
monumental pillar, about 5|- ft. high, and buried at least
192
272 THE HILL OF TAliA.
3 ft. deep in the ground, which is the celebrated Liafail,
or Stone of Destiny, and disputes this title with the
smaller stone now enshrined in the coronation chair at
Westminster Abbey. Perhaps it would be as well to
- c-w> attach here a rough tracing of Dr.
I Hanan's plan of Tara. The earth-
works are, as already mentioned,
5 0 mostly circular, but there is one
long narrow excavation which is
K^fT^ % called " Tara's Hall". The chief
^^^Z^y interest in these raths, however,
centres in those on the southern
side of an old stone wall, which
crosses the hill from the church-
yard, and divides Earl Kussell's property from the Preston
property.
1. Rath of the King, or Hath na Biogh, known since
1798 as the " Croppies' Grave" (from fifty croppies or
prisoners, whose ears were slit before they were let free,
and who afterwards were buried in a trench on the top
of this mound in the rebellion of 1798, having been shot
down in making a stand here). On this now stands the
Liafail, or Stone of Destiny, which was formerlv on
No. 4.
2. The Forradh.
3. King Cormath's rath.
4. The crowning mound, from which the Liafail was
removed to No. 1.
5. Site of a mound similar to No. 4, removed for top-
dressing grazing land.
6. The invisible and doubtful site of Tea Tephi's tomb,
mentioned by Petrie.
The early history of the Hill of Tara is shrouded in a
great deal of obscurity, as the accounts of how it got its
name are rather confusing. From the earliest times,
however, it was an important place, and the Liafail Mas
placed there, according to old records, by a colony of
Scythians, called the Tuatha de Danans, who are sup-
posed by some to have been the Tribe of Dan. This
Liafail now at Tara is, as already mentioned, 5^- ft. high.
It is about 5 ft. round. Probably the Liafail now at
T1IK HILL OF TARA. 273
Westminster was originally a stepping-stone to this one,
or even a portion of it. Dr. Petrie says that the one at
Tara is of granular limestone, but Dr. Hanan does not
agree with him, as it is harder than limestone. The
tradition was that this crowning stone groaned when the
rightful heir was crowned on it, but was silent when
pretenders sat upon it, and wherever the Liafail went,
there the kingdom would be transferred. It is hardly
necessary here to enter into the well-known accounts of
the Liafail. Certainly, however, it is curious to note
that when Fergus I crossed to Scotland, and was crowned
there in the year of the world 304 1, or 330 B.C., that
his brother sent the smaller stone to him in Argyll, from
whence Keneth removed it to Scone, and Edward I of
England afterwards carried it to Westminster to defeat
the tradition, but did not succeed, for James VI, a lineal
descendant of Fergus, subsequently succeeded to the
English throne, and since then Westminster has been the
seat of British Empire, and the stone removed from Tara
330 B.C. remains to-day, a striking link with the past of
these islands. The original name of Tara was Druien
Caien, or the "Hill of Caen", a man's name, and one
account says it was selected by Tea, the wife of Heremon,
one of the sons of Miletius the Greek, who conquered and
wrested Ireland from the Tuatha de Danans. According
to this story the sons of Miletius arrived in Ireland in
120 cuili, in " the age of the world" 3500. Nennius, a
British writer, says 1029 B.C., on the 17th May, and
J'hillip O'Sullevane, who dedicated his history to
Phillip IV of Spain, says 1342 B.C. In a note to
Donovan's Annals of the Four Masters, it says, "Tea,
daughter of Lughaidh, son of Ith, whom Eremhon
married in Spain to the repudiation of Odhba, was the
Tea who requested of Eremhon a choice hill as her dower,
in whatever place she should select it, that she might be
interred therein, and her mound and gravestone might
thereon be raised, and where every prince ever to be
born of her race should dwell The hill she
selected was Druien Caien. It is from her it was called,
and in it she ivas interred." It is difficult to reconcile
the accounts of Tea's appearance in Ireland, and I believe
274 THE HILL OF TARA.
in another edition of the Annals of the Four Masters, she
is supposed to have arrived here 800 B.C., accompanied
by Ollam Fodhla and Simon Burgh. Ollam Fodhla was
a wise man, a seer or law giver, who is said to have ruled
Ireland, and to have first instituted the Feis Teamhrach,
or Feast of Tara, which afterwards became a triennial
gathering of the kings and learned men of Ireland. He
is stated also to have compiled the then existing histories
of the country, and to have founded and collected a book
of laws which was called the Psalter of Tara. Simon
Burgh was his scribe.1 He also founded colleges at Tara.
There is no doubt that the ancient Irish were very
learned, even the Tuatha de Danans, who had preceded
the sept of Heremon, being accredited as magicians,
because of their knowledge of arts and sciences. Later on
the origin of the name Tara and the mystery of its
mounds were lost sight of. Tradition said they contained
the Ark, as well as the body of Tea ; and in a.d. 513 a
great gathering of kings, bards, and grandees assembled
at Tara to collect up the fragments of its history.
Nothing could be gathered more than that it was con-
nected with a woman who came across the great plain
(probably in the original Magh Rein — the plain of the
sea), that she was a daughter of Pharaoh (i.e., a princess
from Egypt), with "a royal prosperous smile". A poem
or record was then composed by King Dermod's chief
bard (this was Dermod, who reigned in the sixth century)
from information chiefly communicated by an old sage
named Fintan. A literal translation of this appears in
one edition of the Annals of the Four Masters, p. 294,
and the following lines occur : —
" Until the coming of the agreeable Teah,
The wife of Heremon of noble aspect,
• ■••••
" A rampart was raised about her house (mur)
For Teah, the daughter of Lughaidh.
She was buried outside in her mound
And from her it (Cathair Corofin) was named Tea-Mur."2
1 Said to be Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch his scribe.
- Tea-Mur house, or palace or town of Tea.
THE HILL OF TARA. 275
Five hundred years later a ballad, probably founded on
the preceding, and other early ones, was composed by a
celebrated Bard, and one time Regent of Ireland, Cu-an-
O'Cochlain (a.d. 1024). According to this : —
" It gave great happiness to the women
When Tea-inui- the strong was erected and named.
Where, after her death, was Tea's monument,
Which structure perpetuated her fame.
" Bregia of Tea was a delightsome abode,
On record as a place of great renown,
It contains the grave, the Great Mergech,
A sepulchre which has not been violated.
" The daughter of Pharaoh of many champions,
Tephi, ' the most beautiful ' that traversed the plain,
Here formed a fortress circular and strong
Which she described with her breast-pin and wand.
" It may be related without reserve
That a mound was raised over Tephi as recorded,
And she lies buried beneath this unequalled tomb,
Here formed for this mighty Queen.
" The length and breadth of the tomb of Tephi,
Accurately measured by the sages,
Was sixty feet of exact measure,
As prophets and Druids have related.
" Sixty feet of correct admeasurement
Was marked as a sepulchre to enshrine her."
Mergech is a Hebrew word meaning sepulchre or
resting-place, and is an important link for those who
trace in Tea Tephi, who came from Egypt in 800 B.C., the
daughter of Zedekiah, who disappeared there eight years
before. Tara may or may not have derived its name
from her, but it is certain that Teamhair is the name of
several hills in Ireland. " Tara", says Dr. Hanan, is
almost pure Hebrew for Torah, which means " law", and
the original tables of the law were in the ark which,
curiously enough, Irish history says is buried with Tea.
Again, the ancient laws of Ireland were issued from
Tara. The incident of Tea drawing a plan of the
fortress with her breast-pin is told also of another Queen
276 THE HILL OF TAR A.
on another bill. So much for the early history of Tara.
Here for centuries was the seat of Ireland's learning:, of
her great conventions, of many battles and struggles for
the crown, and no spot in Ireland is more celebrated in
song- or story, so that every foot of the soil ought to yield
archaeological treasure. It is important to notice it as
described in 1024 as " inviolate" because the underground
place in a rath (on a smaller scale) is a great feature in
Irish archaeology. They are generally approached by the
top, but many were rifled in very early times by the
Danes, who found they were receptacles for gold vessels
and other treasure, and some of them explored by the
Irish Society of Antiquaries showed traces of this early
violation.
To return to the present features of Tara and the plan
already shown ; when the Liafail was removed from the
mound, marked 4, and placed on No. 1, it was put over
the Croppies' grave, and a rude R.I.P. appears on it
above two circular seal marks sunk about a foot deep
and of greater antiquity. The mound on which it is
placed is the centre of the principal earthworks known
as the Rath na Riogh or Cathair Corofin, which appear
to have been the site of Tea's fortress or palace. It
surrounds the larger of the two hills. There is a large
outer ring, and in it two central raths which intersect,
t00mmn,tl^ but, according to Dr. Hanan, the western
$>*^ """"":s\ is the older rath as its outer circle has
^..nfe %1 been cut into to form the eastern. The
#/ (fi^ I western rath is surrounded by a double
%$s£. -'^j- :* * ~ ditch, and the central part is a raised
mound on which now stands the Liafail.
The eastern rath has only one trench
round it, and the centre is depressed.
Dr. Petrie thus describes the supposed
Rath na Riogh o,- sfte of Tea's tomb : — " The next impor-
tant monument noticed is that called Tea
Mur ; of this there is now no vestige, but
its situation is pointed out as a little
hill which lies between the two murs
(septa) to the south of Rath na Reogh,
and the poem of Kinneth O'Hartigan
tts$*t*mi/mi
Rath Laochanair.
THE HILL OF TARA.
277
indicates that it was 60 ft. in extent and contained
within it the sepulchre of the Milesian Queen Tea."
I take this to he the point marked 6 on Dr. Hanan's
plan; on the other hand, some archaeologists place it
as at the point of intersection between the two raths
which would be "outside" Tea's house as the poem
states, and perhaps it is this he refers to. I attach a very
rough tracing from Dr. Petrie's book supplied by a friend,
and this shows the supposed site of the tomb at the red
spot in the centre of the point of intersection of the two
raths.
Dr. llanan, with very good grounds for so doing, fixes
the spot as under the great central mound in the western
rath, on which the Liafail now stands. The reasons he
gives for selecting this spot, the place now known as the
" Croppies' grave", are very sensible. They are as
follows : —
"The Croppies' grave is the largest and oldest of the earthworks
and the most carefully constructed. It alone has the raised centre,
and the size suits the traditional dimensions of the tomb. Section
from Petrie's Antiquities of Tara : —
Section rnoM Pztries Tara
" Thus it will be seen that the central mound is 88 ft. in diameter.
( !u-an-0'Cochlain's poem states that the tomb was 60 ft. in circum-
ference, i.e., 20 ft. in diameter ; supposing this to be the inside
measurement, and that the walls were, say, 6 ft., the whole 32 ft.
could be covered up in the 88 ft. and leave 28 ft. of earthwork
surrounding. It is almost impossible to estimate the original
height of ancient earthworks — probably they were at least twice
as deep and as steep as they are now. The central mound in
question is about 12 ft. over the present level of the surrounding
foss. If it was originally twice as high there would be ample
room for a lofty chamber under the superimposed clay."
To search for this tomb is the primary object of the
exploration which I trust we shall soon see being carried
out at Tara. The Rev. Denis Hanan has secured the
278 THE HILL OF TARA.
promise of funds to carry out the work, and he proposes
driving a shaft or tunnel for 28 ft. through the clay of
the central mound in the Rath na Riogh. This would
not injure the mound, or disturb the Croppies' grave,
which would have to be done if an entry was made from
the top, as has been the case in similar raths. He thinks
that a shaft of only 14 ft. would touch masonry from
indications that he saw there. Thanks to the co-
operation of the Marchioness of Waterford, now, alas,
seriously ill, and unable, at any rate for the present, to
take an active share in the work, the permission of Lord
Russell has been obtained1 to drive this shaft on his land,
but negociations have yet to be settled with the tenant,
the chosen spot being on a farm in the occupation of the
Widow Cullen. From an archaeological point of view,
whether or no the immediate object of the search is
attained, this particular mound offers a fruitful field for
exploration. Other cairns in the same county, though
evidently entered many years before, yielded much of
interest, and the Ro}'al Irish Academy has in its museum
a collection of gold ornaments said to be unrivalled.
Nor is it creating a new precedent to rely upon the
poems of Irish bards for indications of sepulchral remains
and objects of interest buried. In a translation, published
in Dublin in 1764, from the Latin of Sir Jas. Ware on
the "Antiquities of Ireland", there are instances of
searches made with good results for gold plates mentioned
as buried in a certain place by ancient poems. I believe
this is taken from Camden. At any rate, so much has
centred upon and around Tara, that Dr. Hanan's
explorations must be productive of some results of
importance, not merely to the Irish archaeologist, but to
our nation as a whole, for our own royal house trace their
descent in a direct and unbroken line from Tea and
Heremon, and the kings who reigned at Tara : while, as
already noticed, the stone under the Coronation Chair is
a direct link with Tara's past, 330 years B.C. Even if
Dr. Hanan is wrong in his assumption that beneath this
1 Sept. 1895. Since this was written, an unaccountable temporary
block has come from this direction, Major Hamilton, Lord Russell's
agent, having intimated the withdrawal of Lord Russell's sanction.
THE HILL OF TAR A. 279
central mound will be found the tomb referred to so often
in Irish history, he will only need to drive a second shaft
at right angles to the point of intersection of the rat lis
to what I myself think is very probably the spot
'•outside" which is referred to. I trust that I have not
trespassed unduly upon the attention of members of the
B. A. A. in this paper, and I would refer those interested
in the subject to Dr. Petrie's book, The Antiquities of
Tara, for further information. If, as I hope, the present
block in the plan of operations is speedily removed, 1
trust that the British Archaeological Association will be
represented at the works, and encourage, as far as
possible, any excavations on such splendid ground for
archaeological research. I am satisfied that Ireland, with
a civilisation much more ancient than is generally
supposed, has yet to yield us most valuable and interest-
ing discoveries, which will throw a brilliant light on the
history of our past, and which but await the careful and
patient search of the archaeologist.
Ofitfuarp.
The Rev. R. E. Hooppell, Rector of Byer's Green, Durham, had
been in failing health for some months, and died at Bournemouth on
August 23rd, in his sixty-third year. He was born and educated in
London, and at Cambridge was a Sizar of St. John's College, taking
his degree as a Wrangler in 1855, and First Class in Moral Science in
1856. After being Second and Mathematical Master at Beaumaris
Grammar School, he was appointed, in 1861, to be the first Head
Master of Dr. Winterbottom's Marine School at South Shields. In
1868 he proceeded to the Degree of LL.D. of Cambridge, and on
becoming Rector of Byer's Green in 1875, received the ad eundem
D.C.L. of Durham.
The discovery of Roman remains at South Shields greatly revived
that intense delight in antiquarian research which had been a marked
trait in his character from boyhood, and which led to such interesting
and important discoveries and studies as those to which he devoted
much attention in later years.
In 1878 came the absorbing revelations at Vinovia (Binchester),
situated between Bishop Auckland and Byer's Green, about which he
wrote a deeply interesting book entitled " Vinovia, the Buried Roman
City in the County of Durham, as Revealed by the Recent Explora-
tions, 1879," and dedicated it to the generous owner and explorer,
Mr. John Proud of Bishop Auckland. In 1879 he visited Escombe
Church, and first recognised its Saxon character. About this and many
other antiquities in the county Dr. Hooppell wrote many books and
pamphlets, some of which were issued and illustrated by our Associa
tion, which visited both Escombe and Binchester during the Darlington
and Bishop Auckland Congress in the summer of 1886, when Dr. Hoop-
pell exhibited and explained the remarkable archaeological features of
these two ancient remains to a large party of members.
IOXA, GENERAL VIEW OF THE BUILDINGS
ION'A, CATHEDRAL.
($nftquarian $ntdti%tnu.
Ancient Towers and Doorways, being Pictorial Representations and
Restorations of Masoncraft Relating to Early Scottish Pre-Normam and
Norman Ecclesiology. (From pen drawings by the late Alexander
GrALLETLY, First Curator of the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art,
with biographical sketch and descriptive letterpress, by Andrew
Taylor.) — These sketches of ancient Scottish ecclesiastical edifices, and
their details, so deftly reproduced in photo-lithography by Messrs.
Maclagan and Cumming, are no mere holiday work of an amateur, but
the handiwork of one skilled in practical architecture and stone
masonry. Mr. Galletly had such a preliminary training ere beginning
what was to be his life work in the Edinburgh Museum in 1854. The
late Professor George Wilson made the collection of materials used in
building a prominent feature in the new museum he inaugurated.
Besides, his curator had repeatedly to be superintending clerk of works
— whether in arranging temporary premises, or in the erection through
years of the palatial home in Chambers Street. Architectural form,
whether on its practical or aesthetic side, thus became Mr. Galletly's
ruling passion, dominating alike holiday and leisure time. The
thirty sketches about to be published immediately, fragments of a
larger plan, embracing illustrations of other Scottish cathedrals, are
the outcome of numerous visits to the special site ; the taking of
careful measurements, often not without peril ; and the free use of
photography for the special needs of the sketch in hand.
The full-page drawings include : The Round Tower at Abernethy, in
Perthshire ; the Round Tower and adjacent doorway of the church at
Brechin ; the Round Tower and ruined church at Egilsay, in Orkney ;
the Square Tower of Dunning, in Perthshire ; the Square Tower and
attached building at Muthil, in Perthshire : the Square Tower of
Markinch, in Fifeshire ; the south elevation and details of St. Regulus
Tower, St. Andrew's ; a restored doorway of elaborate Norman style at
Kirkliston ; two magnificent doorways of Jedburgh Abbey, of the
most interesting character ; the doorway in the west front of Kelso
Abbey, and another in the North Transept, having over it an elegant
282 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
intersecting arcade, above which is a kind of triangular pediment filled
in with lattice squares, a beautiful creation of twelfth century inspira-
tion ; the zigzag and fluted pillars of Dunfermline Abbey, reminding us
of Durham and other noble edifices of the same century ; an interest-
ing doorway at St. Oran's Chapel, in Tona ; the east end of Colding-
ham Priory, a work almost Romanesque in its general ensemble, and
certainly severely Cistercian in its details ; the chancel and the Tower
of Peterhead church ; a doorway at St. Blane's, in the Isle of Bute ;
three views, and as many plates of details, of the Cathedral of St.
Magnus, Kirkwall ; and a south-east view and the chancel and apse of
Leuchars Church, in Fifeshire. The text of this work will also contain
upwards of thirty drawings of kindred subjects, some of which we
have been enabled to reproduce here as specimens of the care and
judgment shown by the editor in selecting representative examples of
Scottish church art in the pre-Roman and Norman periods : viz., a
general view of the ancient buildings at Iona ; the south-east view of
the Cathedral, showing the massive toAver and other details ; St.
Oran's Chapel at Iona ; the arcaded interior of the Cistercian Nunnery
at Coldingham ; and an elaborately sculptured archway at Lamington,
in Lanarkshire. With such a wealth of illustration this work becomes
a portfolio of typical gems of Northern ecclesiastical and conventional
architecture ; and we feel sure that not only architects and antiquaries,
to whom it is an indispensable test book, but also general lovers of
what is beautiful as well as ancient, to whom it suggests new fancies
and fresh channels for rapture and veneration, will never regret their
acquisition of Mr. Taylor's book.
Intending subscribers are requested to send their names and
addresses to Mr. Andrew Taylor, F.C.S., M.M.S., 11, Lutton Place,
Edinburgh. The work is limited to an edition of three hundred copies
at a subscription of one guinea. It will be of imperial quarto size, on
plate paper.
Cratfield Parish Accounts. — The late Rev. William Holland, B.A.,
rector of Huntingfield, Suffolk, has left behind a large collection of
transcripts of ancient parochial accounts. Those of the parish of
Cratfield, which reach back to the days of Henry VII, have been
selected for publication, under the editorship of the Rev. Canon
Raven, D.D., F.S.A., Rector of Fressingfield, and will be published by
Messrs. Jarrold and Sons, of 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C. To
each year's accounts Mr. Holland has appended historical notes, so
that the affairs of this remote village are a microcosm. The stirring
events of the Tudor period, as, for example, the martyrdom in the
IONA, ST. ORAN's CHAPEL.
COLDINGHAM NUNNERY, INTERIOR.
DOORWAY AT LAMINGTON, LANARKSHIRE.
ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE. 283
village of Laxfield, adjacent to Otatfield, Lady Jane Grey's rebellion,
and the Armada, find valuable and interesting illustrations which are
continued in the forthcoming volume to the year 1642. Among the
more important items are those relating to the Parish Guild, an
institution which lias left its mark behind it in the shape of many a
Guildhall and Chantry. The simple expedient of huge feasts by which
surplus cash was disposed of, in the prospect of visits from Tudor
officials in search of goods for the Augmentation office, may be read
unglossed here. Many names occur, of course, of the old local families,
some now extinct in East Anglia, but not unrepresented in the New
England States. The retention of the ancient spelling is not without
its philological use.
The work will be published by subscription at 15s. by Messrs.
Jarrold and Sons.
A History of Devonshire, with Sketches of its Leading Worthies. By
R. N. Worth, Esq. (E. Stock, London.)— The issue of a cheap
edition of this deservedly popular work will be accepted with gratitude
by a large circle of readers. The oounty is second to none in its
wealth of antiquities and its numerous associations with the history of
our country, and Mr. Worth has touched on the more salient and
prominent points in a way which shows he is thoroughly conversant
with his chosen theme. Of course the history of Devonshire would not
be wholly told in scores of such volumes as that before us, but the
reader of this one will obtain a very good idea of the absorbing history
of the county by a careful perusal of its pages.
Lambourn. — Two interesting additions have recently been placed in
Lambourn Church, Berkshire. The first is a beautiful specimen of
16th-century painted glass. This was purchased at the Lambourn
Place sale by P. C. Sergt. Smith, who has most generously presented
it to the church, and it now adorns the centre of the three-light side
window of the north chapel. The date on the glass is 1532, and it
consists of the figure of St. John-the-Evangelist, and is most delicately
and beautifully painted. The canopy work is rich and elaborate in
character. Unfortunately, only three-fourths of the figure could be
found, and all the missing portions have been filled in with opaque
grey glass.
The second addition is a medallion portrait of Charles I, which has
been placed in the south aisle of the parish church. It is in excellent
condition, carved in alabaster, and was originally painted. Age,
however, has dulled the colouring. This medallion was purchased at
284 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
the Lam bourn Place sale by the vicar, the Rev. J. H. Light ; and it
appears that this curio is one of the few medallions carved as souvenirs
of the kings death.
St. Mawgan-in-Meneage. — The 14th-century church of St. Mawgan-
in-Meneage (Cornwall) is one of those possessing a small window
looking into the hagioscope at the junction of the south transept and
chancel wall. This is the finest example of four such windows still
existing in the Lizard district. Few English churches possess this
feature, and it was, doubtless, used for the exercise of some local
ceremony. There are many interesting features connected with this
thoroughly characteristic Cornish church, and we may mention a 17th-
century poor box, which has three distinct locks to it, one for the
Rector, and one for each of the Churchwardens.
if
THE JOURNAL
ErittsJj 3rrijacoIogual ftssoctatton.
DECEMBER 1895.
A WALK TO SHIRBURN CASTLE,
CO. OXON.
I5Y WALTER MONEY, ESQ., F.S.A., LOCAL SECRETARY FOR BERKSHIRE.
(Read 5th June 1895.)
ONG having had a desire to visit this
highly interesting specimen of castel-
lated architecture, which yet stands to
tell the story of England's changes from
feudal warfare to the internal peace that
succeeded the union of the Roses, when
manor-houses arose instead of castles,
and from the comparative rudeness of that time to the
art and taste of the present, I was recently induced to
make a pilgrimage to this fine old baronial mansion.
Accompanied by an antiquarian friend, we crossed the
Thames at Whitchurch, and leaving the old manor-house
of Hardwicke on the right (the original seat of the Hard-
wickes, from which it takes its name), we climbed the
upland steeps above the Thames Valley, when we began
to leave fertility and culture behind us. After a pleasant
walk through fields, and past lone farm-houses, we came
at length to a few rustic, thatched cottages flanked with
fine woods, — a rich bit of English landscape-scenery,
hidden from the world in a sheltered retirement of
1895
20
286 A WALK TO SHIRBI'RN CAsTl.K.
beauty and repose. We found this to be the little ham-
let known as Collen's End. It was at this place that
the unfortunate King- Charles I was allowed to amuse
his solitary hours when a prisoner at Lord Craven's
house at Caversham, in July 1G47, by playing at bowls
with the neighbouring gentry, but accompanied by an
armed escort. The old bowling-green is now an orchard,
and fronts a cottage, a short distance from the little inn
known as "King Charles' Head" (now a private house),
near two avenues of elms singularly planted in the form
of a cross. On inquiring for the old sign-board which
was formerly suspended outside the rustic inn, we found
it was still preserved, on which these lines are written :
" .Stop, traveller, stop ! In yonder peaceful glade
His favourite game the Royal Martyr play'd.
Here, stripped of honours, children, freedom, rank,
Drank from the bowl, and bowl'd for what he drank ;
Sought in a cheerful glass his cares to drown,
And changed his guinea ere he lost his crown."
A portrait of the old woman who kept the house when
visited by the King is, we believe, still preserved by the
Powys family at Hardwicke.
The King remained at Caversham about a month, and
it was here that he was permitted to receive a visit from
those of his children who were still in the custody of
Parliament, — James, Elizabeth, and Henry. Charles
rode over to Maidenhead to meet them on their way,
where the interview took place, July 15th, amidst a
large concourse of people, who strewed with evergreens
and flowers the roads by which the royal family came to
meet each other ; and, far from conceiving any anger or
distrust at this, officers and soldiers touched in common
with the people by the happiness of the father at the
sight of his children, permitted him to take them with
him to Caversham, and keep them for two days. The
meeting was most affecting, for no private man, unac-
quainted with the pleasures of a court, could have loved
his children more affectionately than did Charles I.
Even Cromwell (who was a witness of the interview, the
headquarters of the army being then at Reading) con-
fessed, with tears streaming from his eyes, that he never
A WALK TO SHIRBURN CASTLE. 28?
had been present at so tender a scene, and extremely
applauded the benignity which displayed itself in the
win ilc disposition and beha\ tour of the King.
Passing on through a somewhat dreary solitude, we
crossed Goring Heath, where there are some very
picturesque almshouses, founded in 17-4 by Henry
Allnntt, Esq., of the Middle Temple, with a chapel
attached, and residence for the chaplain. We shortly
after emerged on a delightfully wooded country abound-
ing in cherry-trees, and pursued our way along quiet,
green lanes, by meadows and rural cottages inter-
spersed amongst the woods, and now and then a lone
farmhouse snugly enclosed within a group of weather-
beaten barns and comfortable shelters. Other lanes, as
deep and as charmingly rustic and secluded, led us
onward, affording, from time to time, a peep of far-oft
picturesque cottages and old homesteads, and ever and
anon we obtain a glance over the hollow glades of the
far-famed Nettlebed Windmill perched on the hill, with
the church and ancient houses curiously clustered around.
Our road now lay through a very pleasant country,
and across the Grims-Dyke, one of the many memorials
of the distant past which may be seen, though only in
fragments, in various parts of this district. As to the
purpose served by these ancient works, and their pro-
bable date, there is some difference of opinion among
antiquaries ; but there is good reason to suppose that
they are boundary-lines thrown up at a time when the
land began to be portioned out amongst tribes or clans,
and when the rights of property as belonging to indivi-
duals was hardly recognised. There is no reason why
they should not be attributed to the Romanised Britons,
especially towards the close of the Roman rule ; or per-
haps they may have been formed by our English ances-
tors soon after they obtained a permanent footing in this
country.
As we passed on the country appeared more cultivated,
and we noticed on our right, embosomed in trees, a house
which we were told was "Joyce Grove". This place has
the distinction of having received a visit from Kin"-
... ^
William III in 1694, when, it is said, he was so pleased
20 2
28S A WALK TO SH1RBURN CASTLE.
with the house that he remarked, "This is a nice place.
I should like to live here three days", — a curious pet
phrase when His Majesty was satisfied with a new
locality. It is also recorded that Queen Anne visited
" Joyce Grove" when on a progress.
Alter an almost continuous ascent for some miles we
at last arrived at Nettlebed, an elevation of 820 ft. above
the sea, whence a wonderful panorama is obtainable of
the surrounding country towards the Berkshire and
Hampshire hills, Oxford, and Windsor. The Windmill
is said to be visible from the Devil's Dyke, near Brighton;
which we can well believe, as it certainly embraces one
of the most extensive prospects in England.
From Nettlebed, which being on the great high-road
from London to Oxford abounds in old-fashioned inns
and publichouses, we had a very commonplace trudge
along the road to Watlington ; the country, as country,
presenting a varied surface, but without any striking
features, although the prospects opened out on the high
ground are pre-eminently beautiful. Particularly is this
the case at a point overlooking the bold and finely
sloping hills above Stonor Park, studded with beautiful
beech-wood, and stretching out over the wild country
beyond to the other side of the valley; the beauty of the
scene being heightened by the bold outlines of the hills
above the Thames near Wargrave, known as Crazies and
Bowseys, which rise into curiously shaped summits, as
viewed from a distance, and are, we were told, the only
intervening hills between this spot and the Ural Moun-
tains ! This is no easy matter to decide, so we did not
dispute the authority of our informant, and could only
say that it certainly was a noble and extended prospect.
Proceeding eastward, by Swyncombe, we passed through
a country consisting chiefly of arable land diversified
with beech woods till we came to Christmas Common, an
elevation of 7G2 ft. above the sea, on the plateau over-
looking Watlington, commemorated in the pages of a
graceful poem by Miss Mitford, entitled "Watlington
1 [ill", a stanza of which runs thus : —
"How boldly yonder cloud, so bright.
Throws out that clump of trees ;
A WALK TO SHIRBtJRN CASTLE. 289
Scarce, (ill it crost tli' ethereal Light,
Like the wren's plume on snow-ridge white,
The keenest eye that wood could seize.
Tis distant Faringdon, I deem ;
And far below, Thames' silver stream
Thrids through the fair, romantic bridge
i )f Wallingford's old io« n,
And high above the Wittenham ridge
Seems the gay scene to crown."
We could, however, see far beyond Faringdon Clump,
referred to by Miss Mitford ; a grove of Scotch firs said
to have been planted by the poet Pye, and the scene of
his exaggerated poem of Faringdon Hill, locally known
as " Pye's Folly", — the word "Folly" signifying in Berk-
shire a clump of trees in an isolated and elevated situa-
tion. The whole line of country as far as the White
Horse Hill is in full view in this direction, and we thought
we could discover the misty lines of the Wiltshire Hills
beyond, which must be clearly visible on a fine day.
On the slope of this hill, immediately above the Ick-
nield Way, there is a colossal figure, in the form of an
obelisk, cut in the chalk, known as "The Mark". It is
visible from a long distance, and we have frequently dis-
cerned it from Wittenham Clump. We do not know to
what period this hill-side landmark is assigned, and to
enter at all upon the subject requires considerable inves-
tigation.
Descending to the valley, we crossed an ancient foss-
way, and shortly afterwards the Icknield Way, one of
the true old " King's Highways", whose stones were
laid by the Roman legions, and whose " peace" is pro-
claimed in the laws of the Saxon monarchs. We then
reached the modern high-road to Oxford, when we
beheld, to our great satisfaction, the lodge leading to
the ancient stronghold- — the chief object of our journey.
A.s we passed through the gateway we found ourselves
in a park of comparatively small extent, and flat in
situation, but, although the day was wet and cold, we
never recollect to have anywhere seen a building which
impressed us with a stronger feeling of the old feudal
grandeur than the Castle of Shirburn. The exterior
of the whole place has been preserved in its true
290 A WALK TO SHIRBURN CASTLE.
ancient character, and is so fine, solemn, and stately,
tli.it when we stood on the principal draw-bridge we
could almosl fancy it was still inhabited by the barons
of old time, as, excepting the approaches, it differs in
no essential respects from its appearance in the
fourteenth century.
The Castle is large, and of quadrangular form, with
battlemented parapets, and at each angle rises a massive
circular tower, considerably above the general height of
the building. On all sides the structure is surrounded
by a moat of great breadth and depth, and is entered
by means of three draw-bridges, and at the termination
of that on the west side is the principal gateway, which
was also defended with a portcullis. The huge and
lofty entrance-doors are of solid oak, studded with heavy
square-headed nails, and when the many coats of paint
were removed, in 1854, several bullets were found
flattened in the wood, at the same time the last remains
of the old portcullis crumbled into dust.
Interiorly the castle is a complete adaptation of the
stern architecture of our feudal ancestors to the higher
luxury and more refined needs of our own day ; and as
the great doors open before you like the removal of a
wall, the surprise that seizes you is instantaneous and
strong. The first room you enter, after passing the
small outer vestibule,1 is the spacious Baronial Hall, on
the walls of which are suspended many interesting
pieces of armour, shields, tilting-spears, and other kinds of
ancient as well as modern defensive weapons, including
pot helmets, breast and back-plates, of the Civil War
period. We also noticed the sword of Hyder Ali taken
at Seringapatam ; and, amongst many other relics, a
pair of leather gauntlets worn by the Princess Elizabeth,
afterwards Queen, when a prisoner at Ashridge. We
next proceeded to the Drawing Room, which is a noble
apartment, overlooking the broad expanse of water
surrounding the castle, fringed on its margins with
evergreen oaks, and containing some very fine historic
1 This vestibule is vaulted, with apertures through which molten
lead was poured on the heads of the besiegers.
A WALK TO SHIRBURN CASTLE. 291
portraits. Among these are a magnificent head of
Erasmus by Holbein ; Archbishop Laud, Vandyke; the
portra.it of'Q n Katharine I *arr, al t ributed to Zucchero;1
with a piece of hair cut from the head of the Queen, in
17!)'.), when her coffin was opened ;it Sudeley Ca.sl.le,
inserted in the lower part of the frame; I lead of a,
Gentleman, Antonio More; Head of a Lady, by the
same artist; Lord Bacon, Van Somer; Portrait of a
Burgher, Frank Hals; Head supposed to be that of
Lord Carnarvon, killed at the battle of Newbury, 1G43,
Myttens; and several other valuable works. In the
Ante-Drawing Room is the famous portrait, by Romney,
of Mary Frances, wife of George, fourth Earl of
Macclesfield ; and in the other rooms are portraits of
Thomas, first Earl of Macclesfield, Lord Chancellor, by
hi idler; of George, second Earl, by Hogarth, and
William Jones, Esq., by the same artist ; William, Earl
of Pembroke, by 'Polemberg ; Thomas, third Earl of
Macclesfield, and Mary his wife, by Ramsay; and
others. \n the Dining Room there are six pictures of
horses, by Stubbs ; and a full length portrait of the
present Earl of Macclesfield, in hunting dress, with
four hounds, by Hon. H. Graves, and presented to the
Countess of Macclesfield by the members of the South
Oxfordshire Hunt.
There are two valuable libraries in the Castle, of about
14,000 volumes, some of which were bequeathed by
1 Recent research has proved that this so-called portrait of Katha-
rine Parr could not have been painted by Zucchero, as lie was only six
years old when she died, in 1548. It does not in the least resemble
any of the authentic portraits of Katharine Parr, who had a broad
forehead, dark hair in flat bands, rather a square face, and short, thick
nose. The hair is no proof, as ladies dyed their hair of whatever
colour they pleased. The inscription, in gilt letters, on the curtain is
CATHARINE PARR
QUEEN TO KING
HENRY TIIK VIII.
But the late Mr. Scharf considered this to be evidence against rather
than for the usually received opinion. Katharine was never spelt
Catherine in the sixteenth century. The costume, too, is of Queen
Elizabeth's time. In any case it is a remarkably fine and well painted
picture. It is much more likely to be a portrait of Queen Elizabeth
herself or a noble lady of the period.
292 A WALK TO SHIRBURX CASTLE.
Mr. Jones, the mathematician, and father of Sir William
Jones, who resided in the Castle through the friendship
of the second Earl of Macclesfield. It is especially
rich in MS. letters of mathematicians of the seventeenth
and beginning of the eighteenth centuries.
But one of the chief attractions at Shirhurn to the
archaeologist is the inscribed Roman sepulchral monu-
ment placed in a recess on the principal staircase. Its
original source is not known, but more than fifty years
ago the Countess of Macclesfield found it standing on a
pedestal in the garden, and thinking it a pity that it
should be exposed to the chances of weather and
accident had it brought into the Castle and placed in
its present position. The monument is formed of white
statuary marble, of elegant design, surmounted with a
pediment, with volutes and moulded cornice, 17^ ins.
in height, 16^ ins. broad, and 12 ins. in depth. The
inside is hollow — the walls being 1| ins. thick. Under
the cornice is the following inscription in Roman letters :
MANIBUS
L . PVPI . POTITI .
VIX ANN I . XVI .
PV PIA AMPLIATA
MATER .
I am indebted to F. Haverfield, Esq., F.S.A., an
authority of European reputation, for the following
reading of the inscription : — manibus l(ucii) pupl potiti :
vtx(it) axxi(s) XVI : PUPIA AMPLIATA mater. " To
the ghost of Lucius Pupius Potitus, aged xvi : put up
by his mother Pupia Ampliata."
Mr. Haverfield observes that " Vixit annis is a
variation on Vixit annos ; it occurs often on tombstones.
Ampliatus, Ampliata, are common names for persons of
the lower classes (slaves, freedmen, or their descendants)
at Pome. A Christian Ampliatus is mentioned by
St. Paul as at Rome (this, of course, is not itself a
Christian monument). I suppose the two Pupii here
mentioned were descendants of a slave enfranchised by
some Roman Pupius." Mr. Haverfield also says that
it is not a local or Britanno-Roman antiquity, but
'4
is
i; JPVPI-POTiTl B Sr^^^Cl
pypiA-AMPLlATAffl i£w#J '^\
^
tnrffT~niinnriiHfiiit'TTfiiiriiiiffriTii — ~"^a—rtw*fr*fcfc*<r'
ROMAN MONUMENT AT SHIRBURN.
A WALK TO SI1IRBURN CASTLE. 293
belongs to a type of funeral monument which is very
common al Rome, and may have been brought to
England in the late seventeenth or eighteenth century
by someone who then made the then fashionable
Mediterranean tour. Mr. Haverfield adds that a great
number of similar inscriptions from Rome exist in our
country-houses and collections.
A drawing of this monument, on the accompanying
Plate, by Mrs. Chester of Shirburn Vicarage, gives a good
idea of its character, but it is not drawn to scale.
Tn taking a glance over the history of Shirburn Castle,
which has been admirably compiled by Lady Macclesfield
in a little brochure published in 1887, we speedily
become sensible of its importance in the past, and of the
many striking scenes in which it has figured. It is of
Norman origin, and its records extend to a very early
period. In 1141 the then Castle surrendered to the
Empress Matilda as a ransom of William Martell, the
faithful seneschal of King Stephen, who was secured as
a prisoner in Wallingford Castle till he had consented to
deliver up, for his release, the important Castle of
Shirburn, and the large tract of country which was
attached to it. The Castle and Manor were subsequently
part of the possessions of Richard, Earl of Cornwall,
who was induced to aspire to the imperial crown of
Germany, in right of his election as King of the Romans,
who, in 1231, granted to Henry le Tyes the manor of
Shirburn, as part of the Barony of Robert, Earl of
Dreux, as of the Honour of St. Walerie. In 1321, the
Barons who had entered into an association against the
Despencers met at Shirburn, under Thomas, Earl of
Lancaster. For taking part in the insurrection under
the same Earl, Warine de Lisle, lord of the manor, was
hanged at York. In 1377, 51 Edward III, his grandson,
another Warine de Lisle, had license to embattle and
fortify his Castle at Shirburn. Through his female
descendants it passed successively into the hands of
the Beauchamps (who held it by service of one bow
and three arrows without feathers), Talbots, and
Quartremaynes, the last of whom having no children,
left it to the child of his servant Richard Fowler, who
294 A WALK TO SHIRBURN CASTLE.
sold his lands, temp. Henry VIII, to the Chamberlains,
of which family ;i lady defended tin- Castle against the
Parliamentary forces, and surrendered to Sir Thomas
Fairfax in June L646. Later, Shirburn Castle, with the
estate, became for a shori time the property of the Gage
family, and was purchased, in L 716, by Thomas Parker,
Lord Chancellor, 171 1-1725, and first' Kail of Maccles-
field. With the accession of Lord Chancellor Parker
the palmy days of the old Castle returned, and have
been well maintained by a succession of public-spirited
descendants, who have won the hearts of the people by
their kindness and consideration to all around them.
Among the many engaging passages in the records of
Shirburn, quoted by the Countess of Macclesfield, is the
following transcript from the letters of Brunetto Latini,
the tutor of Dante, who died in 1294, describing his
journey in two days from London to Oxford by way of
Stokenchurch : —
'•Our journey from London to Oxford was, with some difficulty
and danger, made in two days, for the loads are had, and we had
to climb hills of hazardous ascent, and which to descend are
equally perilous. We passed through many woods considered here
as dangerous places, as they are infested with robbers; which,
indeed, is the case with most of the roads in England. This is a
circumstance connived at by the neighbouring barons, from the
consideration of sharing in the booty, and these robbers serving as
their protectors on all occasions, personally, and with the whole
strength of their band. However, as our company was numerous,
we had nothing to fear.
"Accordingly we arrived the first night at Shirburn Castle, in
the neighbourhood of Watlington, under the chain of hills over
which we passed at Stokenchurch. This Castle was built by the
Earl of Tankerville, one of the followers of the fortunes of William
the Bastard, Duke of Normandy, who invaded England, and slew
King Harold in a battle which decided the fate of the kingdom.
It is now in the possession of a descendant of the said Earl.
" As the English barons are frequently embroiled in disputes
and quarrels with the Sovereign and with each other, they take
the precaution of building strong castles for their residence, with
high toweis and deep moats surrounding them, and strengthened
with drawbridges, posterns, and portcullises; and further, to enable
them to hold out foi a considerable length of time, in case they
they should happen to bo besieged, they make a provision of
victuals, arms, and whatever else is necessary for the purpose."
A WALK TO SHIRBURN CASTLE. 295
Our return journey was made by way of Watlington —
the Wattled-town of I lie Anglo-Saxons, still locally
pronounced " Wattleton", in which we met with nothing
very observable except, t he pict uresque cruciform building
known as the Town Hall, standing at the corner of four
cross- loads, built by Thomas Stonor, Esq., in L 6 64, and
which is perhaps one of the most interesting structures
in the county. It has been described as very much like
the old Market-house at Ross, on the Wye, and with its
grey mullions, high-pointed gables, and dark arches is a,
favourite subject with artists. But it is now in a most
ruinous condition, and something is absolutely necessary
to be done at once to keep it from tumbling down. The
condition of the building is really disgraceful, and it is
not easy to pardon the base uses to which this quaint
old memorial of other days is degraded ; and reflects but
little credit on its present proprietors, whoever they
may be. This is a case where the " Society for the
Protection of Ancient Buildings" might well exert their
valuable influence, for the sacrifice of such an interesting
building, falling slowly to pieces through the want of
the commonest care, is a piece of Philistinism unworthy
of the local authorities of the place. So far as we could
gather, the inhabitants of the town do not appear to
take any interest whatever in its preservation, and
possess the very common but erroneous idea that
anything which is new is valuable, and anything old is
worthless. We respectfully submit that it is the duty
of the people of the place, or the person or persons in
whom the property is vested, to preserve this old
building, which, apart from the question of its many
associations, is a beautiful and curious, if not unique,
monument of a past age, and a landmark in local history.
THE IGEL MONUMENT.
BY DR. A. C. FRYER.
[Read 6th Feb. 1891
N the little village of Jgel, on the Moselle,
stands a very interesting Roman monu-
ment. The column is about 23 ft. high,
and it bears on the south side the follow-
ing inscription :
"D.I Seen . voca M
no fills Secundini Securi et Publiae Pa
catae couiugi Secundini Aventini et L. Sac
cio Modesto et Modestio Macedoni filio ei-
us Luc. Secundinius Aventinus et Secundi
nius Secursns parentibus defunctis et
sibi vivi ut . . . erunt."
Thus we learn that two brothers, Lucius Secundinius
Aventinus and Lucius Secundinius Securus, erected this
monument to their parents, the children of Secundinius
Securus, the wife of Secundinius Aventinus, Publia
Pacata, two relatives, and themselves.
The photograph I have pleasure in submitting to your
examination shows the south side of the monument.
Above the inscription is a relief representing the father
taking leave of his two sons. One of the sons holds a
piece of cloth, which is most likely an allusion to the
1 rade of this family. Above are the portraits of two
boys and a girl. On the pedestal are a number of per-
sons sitting at two tables, and listening to a man who is
reading a document, which is perhaps a will. The small
frieze over the principal relief represents a repast. On the
one side the wine is served, and on the other the meats
THE [GEL MONUMENT. 297
are prepared. In the field, above it, cloths are examined,
while " Hylas carried away by the Nymphs" is repre-
sented in the gable. On the capital are to be seen
Tritons, a bearded head, and the Oceanides bearing the
globe ; while on the top is Ganymede carried off by the
eagle.
The relief on the east side of the monument is com-
pletely destroyed. On the superior part of the main field
is a representation of " Thetis plunging Achilles into the
Styx." The frieze shows the work carried on in a dyeing-
house, while above is a representation of a number of
persons sitting round a table, which is probably a sale of
cloth. In the gable is "Luna in a Carriage."
On the podium, on the north side, are found Tritons
righting with sea-animals, while on the socle is a bale
upon a raft. The apotheosis of Hercules, in the middle
of the Zodiac, is in the main field, and in the four corners
are four wind-gods.
On the frieze are seen mules laden with bales, and
they appear to be driven over a mountain. Over the
frieze is a boy with two griffins, while Sol, in a carriage
drawn by four horses, is represented in the gable.
The reliefs on the podium, on the west side, are like
those on the north. However, on the socle is represented
a carriage which is heavily laden, and drawn by three
horses. The main field is in two parts ; the lower part
shows "Hercules with the Hesperides", and the upper
gives " Perseus freeing Andromeda." The possessor of an
estate receiving hares, fish, sheep, poultry, from his
tenants is depicted on the frieze. Above the frieze is
seen a carriage with two horses, driven before a mile-
stone on which the mark l.iiii most likely indicates the
distance from Trier to Igel. Mars and Rhea Silvia are
in the gable.
The reliefs prove that the Secundini manufactured
cloth, that their trade was an extensive one, and that
they were the owners of large estates.
Such monuments, depicting scenes of daily life, were
common enough, but the Igeler monument is one of the
few that has not been destroyed, and is still in excellent
preservation. In the Museum at Trier are portions of
298
THE [GEL MONUMENT.
other obelisk-like, gable-roofed monuments, dating from
the Roman period, and they were found at Neumagen,
Junkerath, and other places. These monuments, how-
ever, have long been destroyed, while the Igler monu-
ment still stands, and shows us how the other funeral
columns were most likely constructed.
- -
•'
valle cuucts abbey.
BY REV. T. II. OWEN.
[Read \.8th April L894.)
LIE first excavation of this venerable ruin
was undertaken in 1851 by the late
Viscount Dungannon of Brynhinalt,
under whose praiseworthy superintend-
ence the wrhole of the nave and transepts
were cleared. Previous to this there
was not a vestige of the wall of the north
aisle and pillars.
In excavating the nave, a large quantity of human
remains were found ; a cart load of them were removed
to Llantysilio churchyard and interred there, and from
this I infer the nave must have been used as a burial-
ground at some period.
In the year 1882, the keys of the Abbey were handed
over to me. Up to that time the Chapter-house and
all the monastic buildings were used for farm purposes,
and the Cloister-court as a farm-yard. This state of
things was grievous to any one with a spark of proper
feeling. A few years previously Mr. Trevor Hughes,
who had taken great interest in the Abbey, had removed
many of the more modern buildings which surrounded
the Cloister-court, and in May 1883 induced his brother,
Mr. Rice Thomas, to undertake the clearing and
excavating of the Chapter-house, so as to show the
beautiful pillars, four in number, and their bases, erected
about 1 150. This occupied about one year, and cost
the owners about £600. They at the same time repaired
the groining, and raised the boundary wall and properly
inclosed the Cloister-court. I also undertook myself to
complete the removal of the debris which had been left
in the corners of the chapels and nave since the year
300 VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY.
L851. I also collected the arcb mouldings and the caps
of the pillars, and arranged them in such a way that
visitors might form some idea of the former beauty of
the Abbey. In the year 1886 an ancient well was
discovered in the Cloister-court, and this we uncovered.
In 1S87, while excavating the founder's chapel, a human
skull of very large dimensions was found. The most
notable feature is the hole in the crown. It appears
that the owner of this skull must have lived with the
hole in it, as the bone showed signs of having begun to
thicken, and no doubt skin had grown over it. This
relic we keep in the Museum at the Abbey, with a
number of other curiosities found in the excavations
from time to time. In the year 1888 I turned my
attention to the Dormitory, which had never been
disturbed since the time it was burnt down. Under the
debris, just over the slype, some interesting tombstones
were discovered which had been used for the repairing
of the vaulting, of very early date, earlier than the
Cistercian period of the Abbey, and must have belonged
to an earlier structure. They are four in number.
There is one which has a Norman sword on it with an
inscription which is not easily deciphered. It can be
read as follows: — "Jacet. Ordus Madoc — In signis
celi omino en sis." " Here lies Ovius Madoc the
distinguished knight of the mysterious sword." Another,
with a floriated cross with circle, which may be the
stone of an abbot or bishop ; no inscription. The others
are something similar, with no inscription, one having a
spear. Some antiquaries attribute them to the tenth
century. The year 1889 was a memorable one, being
the year of the Queens visit to North Wales. I turned
my attention to the excavation of the exterior of the
north transept and aisle, a portion which had never been
disturbed since the dissolution ; this occupied the
greater part of two years, but, when completed, it
turned out to be the most interesting excavation ever
done, and it brought to light the buttresses of the
north transept and aisle, which some antiquaries say
are the same date as Salisbury Cathedral, and in
excellent preservation. I was finally rewarded by the
7ALLE CRTTCIS A.BBEY. 301
discovery of a fine tombstone laid on the foundations
between the third and fourth buttresses of the north
aisle, showing a knight-templar's tombstone; engraved
on the stone was a sword, but no inscription. If has
never been found out whose stone it was. On reaching
the west end I was surprised to find a large corner
buttress somewhat like a turret tower, which seemed to
have been pulled down to the level of the embankment
surrounding it. Under the roots of a large tree, close to
this buttress, I also came upon a quantity of old glass
of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, which has
since been all set in a small frame, and is now in the
Museum attached to the Abbey. The window is well
worth inspection, and it is of the same period as the
patchwork windows made up in Canterbury Cathedral
and Christ Church, Oxford. The colours are very deep,
especially the ruby, and there is a colour of green not to
be had now. In the summer of 1893 I started upon the
excavations of the Cloister-court, which had never been
disturbed since the time of the burning in the middle of
the fifteenth century, and in course of the work I came
upon the old foundations of the Cloister wall of great
thickness, and also the wall of the arcade, which showed
signs that it had been all groined at one time. The
width of the Cloister was thus shown to be about 8 to
9 ft. wide. In pursuing the Cloister-court boundary
wall, at the west end I came upon the very ancient
gateway and porch, the foundation complete, Norman, if
not earlier ; and from these excavations I conclude that
the Cloister-court is very much earlier than the Abbey
itself. No doubt the Cloister-court was really the old
Llanegwest ; for Llan meant enclosure, and gwestl
for strangers. On this site there seems to have been a
religious-house from a very early period, for in course of
the excavations I discovered three or four distinct
burnings; at a depth of two yards was the old
wooden structure all burnt, except a few pieces of oak,
and above this old Roman work of dressed stone, and
above that again the blue stone, so that it is quite clear
that British, Roman- Saxon, and Norman work had
been destroyed from time to time, and that the present
1895 21
30:2 VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY.
church was rebuilt in 1200 in the Early English style
from the materials of former structures, for stones of all
these periods are to be found in the structure of the
Abbey.
But the most interesting find is the ancient porch at
the west end, together with the foundations of the old
boundary wall which comes about a yard further out
than the Abbey itself; and this wall can be traced the
whole length to the west of the Cloister-court. On the
south side wTe discovered an entrance to the refectory,
the foundations of which lie outside the present
boundary wall, which is modern, and also another
gateway leading to another portion of the monastic
buildings.
We have now the foundations of the Cloister nearly
complete, but have still got the excavation of the Court
to do, so as to get it on the same level as the church ;
and we hope, if we can raise sufficient funds to carry
on this undertaking, we shall very probably come upon
the ancient tombstone and also the well which I believe
is in the centre of the garth. From a rough calculation
it will take something about £60 or £70 to do this
.vork, and that in labour alone, as there is over 600
yards of debris to be removed.
1 only hope that antiquaries, or anyone interested in
the work, will come forward and assist, and help in
developing the history of what is probably the oldest
monastic foundation in Wales.
I have now briefly given an account of ten years'
excavation, the cost of which has not been less than
,£400, as I have expended myself at the rate of £40 a
year, without troubling the public at all. But as it is
n national thing I hope I may be pardoned if this year I
make an appeal for a little help, as I have a most
interesting work now on hand, which is at a complete
standstill from want of funds.
The Cambrian Archaeological Association have made a
grant of ten pounds, but that has been expended in
labour during the winter.
*tar
ORYPTE COURT, WATERGATE STREET,
CHESTER.
BY F. II. WILLIAMS, ESQ.
[Head 3rd Jan. 1894.)
HE Chester Courant, of 11th Oct. 1893,
states that a new addition has been
made to the antiquities of Chester by
unearthing a crypt under one of the old
family mansions in Watergate Street,
which has every indication of being part
of the ancient Friars. In 1846 the pro-
perty was acquired by the late Mr. H. Boden from the
Maddocks of Liscard, and was then in a fair state of
repair ; but the depreciation of property in the locality
led to its becoming untenanted, and general dilapidation
followed as a natural result, until it became nearly a ruin.
Last year it was offered for sale, and a portion purchased
by Mr. Walter Boden, who, having arranged with the
Town Council to give land for the widening of Common-
hall Street and Puppet-Show Entry, has since pulled
down the whole, and erected seven modern and well-
arranged dwellings and other business premises.
Under a portion of the old house, and about midway
between the two streets, there exists a crypt which for
centuries lay unnoticed, being used as a back-cellar in
connection with a bonded vault. Mr. Boden has had the
crypt cleared of mould and soil, and lighted with gas,
and has opened out a space over it to form a court,
henceforth to be named " Crypte Court", and made a new
and easy external stairway down to it. It was hoped
that on the removal of several inches of soil a floor would
be found ; but it is now clear that years ago, this, of
whatever character it was, had been removed, evidently
21 5
304 CRYPTE COURT,
to increase the depth, and there remains only the natural
rock, roughly hewn, and level. There is, however, a dis-
tinct trace of a concrete floor visible on the walls.
The crypt is 32 ft. long and 11 ft. wide, and lies due
east and west, with a clearly defined but filled-up recess
at the east end, as though an altar had existed. There
is a doorway at the north-west corner, and a vestibule
and door at the south-east angle, both with recesses for
heavy doors, and the marks of massive hinges and bolts.
The roof is of pointed Early English character, about
thirteenth century, with diagonal groining at both ends,
and massive, splayed rib-vaulting, in eight lines between,
the ribs springing off the plain ashlar. All is of great
strength, and in good preservation.
The owner, Mr. W. M. Boden, Diocesan Surveyor,
desires that any one who wishes may view, and a key is
procurable from the occupier of No. 1, Crypte Court, and
at Mr. Boden's office. He will also be pleased to have
any opinions as to the probable origin, character, and
period of the crypt, and whether it would appear to have
been erected for religious purposes, security, or storage
only.
In view of appending a few notes, I visited the place
to-day, and may say that the foregoing description
seems generally correct. I cannot, however, accept the
suggestion that the room formed part of the buildings
in connection with the Monastery of White Friars,
though the orientation of the " crypt" (to use the
popular term) would, if taken with other necessary, and
presumably existing features, point to the Chapel
theory as not unlikely ; a very slight examination
convinced me that it had been intended for other —
possibly storage-purposes.
Ignoring the want of such appendages as a piscina or
aumbrey, we have only to consider the suggested altar-
recess. This, an opening of 3 ft. 6 ins. in width, is,
from its splayed sides and square head (the latter some
2 ft. below the apex of roof) evidently that of a window,
but walled up. At the west end is a similar depression,
3 ft. 10 ins. wide, the back of which from near the level
of the floor slopes upwards to the sill of a rectangular,
WATERGATE STREET, CHESTER. 305
rebated light (size about 2 ft. 4 ins. by 2 ft. high), the
upper part of which is almost level with the pointed
roof. The sides and back of this opening present a
weathered appearance, and from the hasty examination
I made, fancy that the light and incline beneath it
may be alterations made at some later period; and
on this account also cannot speak with certainty as to
the window at the other end ; but happily, owing to
the wise decision of the owner, the crypt remains, and
a future examination may tell us more about it.
Some time ago, the then Mayor of Chester, Alderman
Charles Brown, informed the Association of certain
remains disclosed during the reconstruction of some
premises of his, in May 1890, a little east of this place,1
viz., the lower portion of a Roman column in situ, on a
foundation of boulder-concrete, and a couple of early
sepulchral slabs (one inscribed), these latter probably
derived from the White Friars' Church. When this
excavation was in progress I obtained an incised tloor-
tile with foliated device, a squeeze of which I send. It
has been green glazed, and, when in position, one of a
pattern of alternating circles and quarterfoils, enclosing
leaves.
To make myself intelligible to those unacquainted
with the topography of our old city, I should mention
that the Church of the Monastery, and I infer practically
the Monastery itself, occupied the area between Bridge
Street on the east ; " White Friars" — a street on the
south ; Weaver Street on the west ; and Common-hall
Street on the north ; where, at an almost equal distance
between the last named and Watergate Street — which
lies parallel with it — is the room described.
The lofty spire of this Carmelite House was built in
1496, and after withstanding the storms of a century -
doing a good work the while in guiding seafarers over a
treacherous coast — or, in the words of the local historian
Webb, " the only sea-mark for direction over the bar of
Chester", was taken down (1597).
1 Formerly a tumble-down building, now restored in the half-
timbered style so characteristic of Chester architecture, with a swing-
ing sign near the roof, lettered " Roman Column".
306 CRYPTE COURT,
Iii writing of Common-hall Lane (though all our
Lanes have now attained to the dignity of " Streets",
and some even within my memory bore the former title),
I will again quote old Webb, who says: "As you
descend from the High Cross, upon the west side lyes a
lane, anciently called Norman's Lane, and many yet call
it Common-hall Lane, because it was situate at a great
hall, where the pleas of the city, and the courts thereof,
and meetings of the mayor, and his brethren were once
holden, and it joins St. Alban's Lane."1 This St. Alban's
Lane is the Weaver Street described. Forming a great part
of the east side of this Weaver Street, White Friars' end,
still exists an ancient coped wall — the western boundary
of the Monastery — and in which, many years ago, my
father remembers having seen a mediaeval corbel, or
sculpture, in the form of a cowled head, but that on a
subsequent visit he found it had been removed. This,
as occurring on its outer face, had probably been a
modern insertion of some carved fragment found near
the spot.
In May 1884, when digging for the foundations of
some new houses on the north side of White Friars,
part of a mediaeval tiled floor was met with, about 3 ft.
below the surface. The tiles composing it were of the
same date as the tile from Watergate Street (15th cen-
tury), and like it incised ; they were glazed green, yellow,
and brown (or black) ; and the patterns common to
others of the same period, viz., ordinary geometrical,
and foliated ; stag ; two dolphins ; double-headed eagle ;
and interlacing circles, the union of which on each tile
gave four vesicce with a figure of a fish in each, round a
six-rayed centre.- Beneath this, and about seven feet
from the surface, was found the original Roman street,
1 A half-timbered erection, known as the Almshouses of St. Ursula,
afterwards marked the spot. It was removed some fifty years ago.
There is a view of it in the first volume of the Journal of the Chest* r
A rchoBological Society.
2 A pavement, identical both in design and date, was found on the
east side of Bridge Street, April 1850, within the northern limits of
the .Monastery of St. Michael. (See Chester Archreological Society's
Journal, i, pp. 51-54, and plates.)
WATERGATE STREET, CHESTER. 307
together with remains of a columnar building of the
same period along its northern line.1
In conclusion, I may add that the Gothic arches in
some adjoining premises on the west side of Bridge
Street, and supporting the comparatively modern houses
above, have been considered as remains of buildings
connected with the Monastery.
The foregoing imperfect description was hurriedly
put together in view of its being read (in the absence
of more important matter) after the business of the last
meeting, December 6th, and in doing so I find I have
omitted to state my reasons for not accepting the
suggestion that the vaulted chamber belonged to the
Monastery. In the first place, if we were to entertain
the idea, we should have also to assume that some of
the buildings extended beyond, that is to the north of,
Common-hall Lane — an evidently ancient boundary —
and though it is not improbable that this Religious
House may have held lands and tenements at no great
distance beyond its walls, we should, I think, be going
out of our way in so striving to explain it ; and, indeed,
might with no less reason apply the same argument to
other adjacent crypts.
The chapel theory has in turn been applied to all build-
ings of the like character found in Chester, a theory now
judged false, but at one time accepted without question ;
though there is still a lingering tendency, even amongst
some antiquaries, so to regard them. At the present
time they are, I need scarcely add, generally and reason-
ably considered to be the basements or lowest portions
of ancient houses. It would unnecessarily lengthen my
prosy account if I were to attempt a description of those
other vaulted chambers existing in Eastgate and Bridge
Streets, for though they slightly differ in point of date,
and so architecturally, as far as their use goes, the
description of those in Watergate Street may apply to
the rest. With the exception of that forming the
subject or the present remarks, they are situated at right
1 Other particulars of this discovery, with a plan, may be found in
the late Mr. Watkin's Roman Cheshire, pp. 147-Lr)2.
308 CRYPTE COURT, CHEST UK.
angles to the several streets (i.e., with one of the narrower
ends, or entrance, parallel with the street). During my
first hasty survey of Mr. Boden's crypt (for I have again
visited it) the doorway at the west end of its north side
was temporarily barricaded ; this opening, I find, commu-
nicates with another more extensive cellar, its width coin-
ciding with the length of the crypt. The roof is supported
by massive beams from side to side, which rest on corbels
grotesquely carved with human and other heads. This
cellar was until recently used as a Bond-vault, a purpose
to which many of the old basements have been applied.
The superstructure bears the appearance of a sixteenth-
century building, with a gabled roof and stuccoed front,
but has suffered both internally and externally from the
alterations of later times.
In my former notes I mentioned the judiciously
restored building, now known as the " Roman Column".
The next house to the west is also the property of
Alderman Brown, and has not only had its upper
portion tastefully rebuilt in the same style, but a
suitably designed Gothic frontage of stone is being
inserted, in place of the common cellar-entrance below.
At the south end of this basement are two bays of
an early and very elegant little crypt (once continuous to
the street, with a row of supporting columns through its
length). It is gratifying to know this vestige of ancient
domestic architecture has fallen into the hands of one to
whose liberality and zeal in preserving the glories of old
Chester the city is indebted so much.
Still further to the east, and on the same side of the
street, is the well-known double crypt forming part of
Messrs. Quellyn, Roberts, and Co.'s premises ; but as I
do not wish to add to a more than twice-told story, I
will let the views and plan sent speak for themselves,
merely observing I believe there are no substantial
grounds for the idea that this crypt, and the one on the
west side of Bridge Street, were connected together by a
passage, as suggested.
NOTES RELATIVE TO
SOME NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CHURCHES OF
NORMAN AGE;
ALL EVIDENTLY THE WORE OF THE SAME MASTER-MASON,
ONE SEEMINGLY FROM FLAN' E.
BY J. T. IRVINE, ESQ.
{Bead I, Jan. 1S95.)
T is not often in the Norman age that we
can follow up so clearly, through more
than one building, the work of any one
designer, as can be done here with erec-
tions by the master- mason of the cross-
church of Castor, near Peterborough, — a
church whose central tower is probably
the finest Norman steeple in England : and so well
illustrated in Britton's Architectural Antiquities.
The dedicatory inscription, again replaced in the south
wall of its choir, when rebuilt during the Early
Decorated period, states the year as 1124, and provides
evidence of the time about which he flourished. Castor
having fallen to the share of two brothers, the elder
Richard, a priest ; it was agreed between them that
he, the priest, was to have the church and half a hide
of land which belonged to it, while the younger was
hold the rest. Priest Richard gave the church and its
half-hide of land to the Monastery of Burgh St. Peter, in
1133, which again was, at a later time, confirmed to it.
There, therefore, seems little cause to doubt that the
Norman Church was erected by order of Richard, the
priest, to replace, it may have been, a Saxon one of
wood, replacing that one destroyed by Swend.
Though the Norman choir underwent rebuilding (to a
good design) in Early Decorated times, yet its pre-
310 SOME NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CHURCHES
decessor's rich character is evidenced by the abundant
supply of the small shafts from the destroyed wall-
arcades, etc., now used as mere walling materials in the
north side of this choir. In the Norman part left, there
remains that abundance of carving in which this
sculptor-mason's work abounds. This is both in the
pillars of crossing, the tower externally, the south door,
(now rebuilt in the wall of an added soutli aisle), and also
a grandly sculptured tympanum, bearing a half figure
of Our Blessed Lord blessing, removed from the ori-
ginal site it occupied, and rebuilt over the arch into
the south porch, where its sill-stone is also part of a
cross-shaft, ornamented with interlacing work. His
bases everywhere, out and in, bear that ring of " scale-
work" (see D on plate) which seems the invariable mark
by which his work may be always told at a glance,
whether here, at Maxey, and at Wakerley churches, or
when even, as at Water Newton, the materials of his
Castor choir are found reused as only building materials
(they are not late enough to present claws on angles).
He also executed a font for Wansford Church (though
probably no other part of it) on which he has repeated
the same singular club-contest he carved on the south-
west crossing pier at Castor (illustrated in a former
Journal).
His designs are in advance of any of the work going
on at the like time around; as may be well seen on com-
parison with even that of the Abbey Church, now the
Cathedral.1
In the very interesting church which, with almost
castle-style, tops the artificial mound that gives the name
of Maxey (Maks Oye), or the Made Island, to the parish,
his work is again found in the lower parts of its
western tower, a simpler edition of the central design at
Castor, and where in its lowest stage he is found
copying (strange to say) the vertical stone strips he
saw used in the tower of its Saxon neighbour at
Barnack, his tower being here, as in that of Barnack,
a stone addition to an older Saxon nave of wood. Here,
1 There not a trace of his work is seen.
g»5J2
J.Tr-rv.r, Oct b 1387.
WAKERLEY CHURCH, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.
Capitals, etc., in Chancel.
OF NORMAN DATE. ."'.1 I
as at Castor Tower, lie divides the stages by corbelled
cornices, the corbels carved heads, and the strings also
richly ornamented, his bases scaled. The upper stage
of his design has from some cause been destroyed, and
in Decorated times replaced in that style.
The third where part of his work remains is
Wakerley Church. As by him designed, originally but
a nave and chancel ; of which last only the chancel-arch
wall exists, the arcaded walls of its choir not entirely
departing (according to Bridges, the historian of the
county) until the end of the last or even the commence-
ment of this century. The choir-arch (as often the
case) was in earl}7- times taken down, though its responds
were left, and the same stones refixed in a pointed
shape, as it now still remains. On each side of its
western face are blank arches, whose mouldings rest on
short columns, having scaled bases as usual (I) on Plate).
To his nave, at a later time, short aisles or chantry
chapels were added, opened into it by arches pierced
through the nave walls. Thus, over the central pillar
supporting the two southern arches, the top-part of one
of his nave-windows remains ; and on what was the
external wall of his nave, under the present aisle-
roof, remains to view part of his richly ornamented
corbel-table. The diamond adorned string which exter-
nally found place below the sills of his windows, was by
the aisle builders replaced as an internal one below
theirs.
Among the many carvings wTith which the work of
this sculptor-mason abounds, none is more interesting
than the subject he selected for production on the large
cap of the north respond of the choir arch (see sketches
A, B, c, e, on plate). The smaller outer cap (e) is orna-
mented by a poppy in bud, mixed with that imitation
of interlacing strapwork design, much used at Castor by
him ; and, indeed, everywhere common to his period.
On the large cap he illustrates, with singular force, the
passage of an armed knight (it may be intended for the
then possessor of Wakerley) to the Holy wars, who
evidently was accompanied up to the Hellespont by his
lady. On the west, or outer end of the block, is seen
312 SOME NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CHURCHES
the three apses of a church with their tiled and pointed
roofs, while its east end shows a lofty (city '() wall,
formed of large stones, through which is a gateway.
Below the coping, the wall is pierced by four square-
headed windows. At each of its ends rise square stone
turrets, with openings in their sides, having tiled and
pointed roofs. Between these there rises above the
wall a lofty dome, terminating in a ball, its sides pierced
by three large round-headed windows. The first church
can scarcely be intended for other than that of the Holy
Sepulchre ; and this, the second, for Justinian's master-
piece. The front of the cap presents an armed knight on
horseback, who is riding from the city-gate towards the
church, while behind and over him is seen his lady, with
hand lifted heavenwards, as she here commits him to the
Almighty's protection during his further pilgrimage.
She, no doubt, having followed him on his advance up
to the Hellespont, and here is seen taking leave of him
beneath the walls of the city of Constantine, over which
towers arises the dome of St. Sofia, as he, armed, starts
onwards to the more arduous portion of his journey.
The story could scarcely be told in a more lively
manner ; and the sculptor must both have seen and
retained a strong remembrance of what here he illustrates
of Justinian's noble erection, which must certainly be
the first representation of it in England. It is just
possible that the wall and turrets may be, however,
intended for that church itself, the turrets being those
small towers at the angles of its plan.
During the Perpendicular Period a slot to receive the
end of the screen-beam was cut through the centre of
the cap, and during repairs several years ago replaced
with a new piece, which part is therefore partially
modern.
The date of the work must be somewhere about 1120.
Unfortunately it does not appear possible to recover the
possessor of Wakerley at that date. Wakerley, in
Domesday, is described as held by Eudo Eitz Herbert,
and in 1198-99 it was part of the possessions of William
de Lanvelley, a member of the great Essex family of
that name.
OF N'olJ.MAN DATE. 3 I 3
Of the work of this master-mason other specimens
may eventually come to light in Northants or elsewhere,
his work being easily recognisable by his scaled bases.
Castor Church chancel was, as above stated, rebuilt
in the Decorated period, and the stonework of its
windows carried over to Water Newton Church, where
they now form belfrey windows in its tower, one of
the scaled bases now appearing as a walling-stone in part
of the tower stairs. The curious inscription on the west
face of this tower has never been before published. It
is as follows, and records the memory of Thomas Purdeu :
vovs j ke | PVR |
ISSI • PASSEZ l
PVR [ LE j ALME
• TOMAS : PVRJ
DEV ? PRIEZ I
Singular to say, the slab of soft Cambridgeshire
clunch-stone on which the inscription is cut, had been
protected by a sheet of glass ! The slot cut all round
the jamb of the panel in which this was placed remains all
round, so that the glass sheet must have been built into
its place, and could not have been afterwards introduced.
Over the panel is a niche containing the standing figure
of Thomas, which, save the loss of the head, is otherwise
perfect. The clasped hands show that he was represented
as praying. Such a standing figure of a monumental
character, which this must have been intended to be by
him, is very unusual in England.
»
THE ANCIENT COURT RECORDS
OP THE
BOROUGH OF SALFORD.
BY G. MAKINSON, ESQ.,
ALDEKMAN.
(Read at the Manchester Congress, 1894.)
HE manuscript volume to which I desire
to draw the attention of the Congress
is undoubtedly one of the missing Books
of Record of the " Portemannemoot",1 or
Court Leet of the Free Borough of Sal-
ford, and which exercised its powers
subject to the authority of the Ancient
Charter of 1231;2 which Charter, it will be remembered,
is exhibited in Peel Park Museum.
The volume consists of some 530 closely written pages
of Old English manuscript, in different handwritings,
with numerous abbreviations ; and considering that it
has lasted, and been constantly used at least twice a
year for upwards of seventy years, it is in a remarkably
good state of preservation. Although some two or three
pages at the beginning, and one or two in the middle,
have been more or less torn away, the binding, as a
whole, is firm and compact, and the paper thick and
durable, though the book, of course, bears strong evi-
dence of its ancient origin.
Its records extend over a period of about seventy-
two years, comprising one of the most momentous and
interesting epochs of English history. It contains a
record of the proceedings of one hundred and twenty-
1 So spelt in the Charter, but this word is frequently abbreviated,
and generally spelt "Portmote" in the records.
- The Charter is undated ; but, in the opinion of certain antiquaries
it was probably granted in the year 1231.
RECORDS OF THE BOROUGH OP SALFORD. 315
six Portmotes or Courts Leet, held generally tw ice a pear
namely, in April and October, from the thirty-ninth year
of the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1597) to the ninth
(twenty-first) year of the reign of King Charles II (1669),
thus covering the troublous times of the trial and execu-
tion of King Charles I, the era of the Protectorate of
Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth, the times of
Spenser, Ben Jonson, and Shakespeare, Bacon, Milton,
and John Bunyan ; also of Archbishop Laud and John
Hampden, and the abolition of the Star Chamber ; also
of the great plague of London and the great fire of Lon-
don ; the times also of Humphrey Booth the elder, to
whose munificent benefaction the Borough of Salford is
so largely indebted, and whose name and the names of
his sons, grandsons, and other descendants, repeatedly
occur in the manuscript.
As far as my investigation has gone, there is no men-
tion in the book (as, indeed, one could hardly expect) of
any of these great historical personages or events ; but
the fact may possibly lend additional interest to the
volume, from the reflection that whilst such great per-
sonages were living out their lives, and such thrilling
occurrences were transpiring in distant parts of our own
country, our civic forefathers were busily engaged in dis-
charging the duties of local government in Salford.
The heading of each sitting of the Court gives the date
of hearing and the name of the Steward before whom the
Court is held, and the names of the Boroughreeve and
others in attendance are usually stated.
There do not seem to be many, but there are some,
lapses in the successive holdings of the Court. In a few
instances there is only one Court held during the year,
whilst in a few others — as, for example, in the years 1643
and 1645 — there is no record of any Court being held at
all ; and yet there is no appearance of any leaves having
escaped the binding in these places.
The Portmote was a Court of Record held before the
Steward of the Leet, being a " King's Court" granted by
charter to the head of the manor. " Its original intent",
says Wharton, " was to view the frank-pledges (that is,
the freemen within the liberty), who, according to the
316 ANCIENT COURT RECORDS
institution of King Alfred, were all mutual pledges for
the good behaviour of each other. It was annually the
custom to summon all the King's subjects, as they
respectively grew to years of discretion and strength, to
come to the Court and there take the oath of allegiance
to the King. The other general business was to present
by jury all crimes whatever that happened in their juris-
diction, and not only to present, but also to punish, all
trivial misdemeanours. The Steward might fine, or impri-
son, or take a recognizance of the peace. All fines were
recoverable by action of debt or distress, but an amerce-
ment was generally the act of the jury. In some manors
the jury chose the Reeve or other chief municipal officer."
Salford was declared by its charter to be a " Free
Borough", whatever that implied ; but the freedom, in
one sense at least, seems to have been confined to its own
kith and kin. It was certainly not a place given "to
entertain strangers unawares*'; and one of the most
striking functions of this Court, and one very frequently
exercised, was to preserve the exclusiveness of its inha-
bitants. No " foreiner" or stranger was permitted to
reside within its boundaries, and all such as were found
there without the sanction of the authorities were
ordered to depart, or to be summarily ejected, save in
some cases where the host was prepared to become
responsible that they should not be " burthensome to the
towne". The object was, no doubt, to prevent the settle-
ment of poor people there ; but the restriction seems to
have been applicable to all classes of strangers, as officers
of the Court and well-to-do people were not unfrequently
presented for breach of the regulation.
It is rather remarkable that I have not so far dis-
covered any entry relating to a serious crime committed,
or a sentence of imprisonment inflicted, though the juris-
diction of this Court would, doubtless, not affect the
ordinary jurisdiction of the Justices in Petty Sessions.
The business disposed of at these Courts may be sum-
marised as follows : — The selection of the jury (usually
consisting of fourteen). —The annual appointment of
Boroughreeve, constables, and other officers. — The pre-
sentment of the attendance in Court of the property
OF TH E BOROT J( !II OF SAL K< > I : I ). 317
owners and burgesses, and the names of absentees whose
duty it was to do fealty, suit and service to the lord of
the manor, and through him to the reigning Sove-
reign.— To hear and determine questions of disputed
rights of way, and settle differences between owners of
property and inhabitants respectively. — To enforce the
duty of every inhabitant to keep clean and in good repair
the pavement, watercourses, hedges, and ditches, adja-
cent to his or her property or holding. — To record the
ownership and devolution of landed property. — To pre-
vent the influx and settlement of persons liable, through
poverty, to become chargeable on the town. — To inflict
fines for gambling, drunkenness, assaults, and the like,
and for breaches of the Ale and Beerhouse Acts ("Assize
of Ale and Bread") ; also for trespass and wandering
abroad of cattle and swine and unmuzzled dogs. — To pin-
vide the "watch", or police protection, and safeguard the
town Hgainst fire, as also to furnish a supply of water for
the public through the medium of the parish pump. —
And for the laying and collecting of the moneys neces-
sarily expended in these matters.
The business at the April Courts, however, appears to
have been more formal, and less protracted, than at the
October Courts, and the entries relating thereto are
altogether in Latin or Norman-French ; at least as to
nine-tenths of them. A translation of one of them is set
out in the Report.
It may be mentioned that in the headings of the Port-
motes, which are almost invariably in abbreviated Latin,
the name of the reigning Monarch is usually cited, along
with the date ; but with regard to those held during the
Commonwealth, the name of the King is simply omitted,
without any reference to the ruling power.
I find that during the whole period of seventy-two
years there were ten Stewards of the Court only, namely,
1597-1020.— Sir Richard Mollineux, Knight,
afterwards Sir Richard Mollineux, Bart.
1620-1644.— Viscount Mollineux
1644. — Edward Holte, gentleman
1646. — Rado Asheton, Esq. (Armiger)
1649.— Peter Brereton, subsequently styled Esquire
1895 22
318 ANCIENT COURT RECORDS
1 Goo. — Thomas Birch, Esq.
1654. — Jeremiah Whitworth, Esq.
1654. — Arthur Burron, gentleman
1656. — Robert Asheton, gentleman
1659. — No Court was held this year
1660. — Viscount Mollineux.
The Borouglireeves are, of course, very numerous, and
it would be hardly worth while to set out the whole of
them in this Report. Suffice it to say that the first
Boroughreeve mentioned is Edward Bybby, in the year
1597, and the last is Myles Gathorne, in the year 1G68.
But amongst others are to be found, successively, the fol-
lowing, namely, —
Adam Pilkington (eight times Boroughreeve, at inter-
vals), Robert Boulton (thrice), John Duncalfe (four
times), Thomas Byrom (twice), Adam Byrom, Richard
Knott, John Knott (twice), John Cliffe, Robert Pendle-
ton, Francis Bowker, Humphrey Booth (ten times Borough-
reeve between the years 1609 and 1632), Robert Booth,
Humphrey Booth, junior, Adam Bowker, Peter Bowker,
and Humphrey Booth (probably the grandson) in the
year 1667. The last half-dozen Boroughreeves men-
tioned are successively, William Higinbothom (1662),
James Johnson, Adam Wharmeingham, Nicholas Hawett,
William Heggenbotham, and Myles Gathorne (1668).
It may be mentioned here that as the Charity of
Humphrey Booth the elder was founded by deed of trust
in the year 1630, about five years before his death, there
can be no doubt that the Humphrey Booth mentioned
above as having been ten times Boroughreeve of Salford
was the founder of the Charity, which at the present day
yields a net income of £13,411 per annum for the benefit
of the poor of Salford. The Charity of Humphrey Booth,
the grandson, which yields a present net income of £780
per annum, was provided for by his will in 1672, though
not founded until 1 6 9 5 . The grandfather died in 1635,
and the grandson in 1676. The first time a Humphrey
Booth is named as Boroughreeve is in the year 1610, and
the last time in 1647. A Robert Booth was appointed
Boroughreeve in the year 1 632, and a Humphrey Booth,
junior, in 1 634.
OF THK BOROUGH OF SALFORD. 3 I 9
I ought to say that I have not strictly adhered to the
spelling of the text, having modernised it a good deal,
except by way of frequent illustration : indeed, the spell-
ing of the original is not uniform, and is often al fault,
the same words being not unfrequently spell differently
in many places ; and this sometimes occurs even in the
same paragraph or entry, which is certainly BUggestive
of a want of proficiency on the part of the writer in the
art of spelling.
The fines inflicted for offences at the different Courts
are also by no means consistent. For exam pie, at the
October Court, in 1G58, offenders for not " Ringeing" or
" yoakinge" swine were fined two shillings per swine,
whilst for a similar offence, at the October Court in 1GG8,
and elsewhere, the offenders were only fined three pence.
As some parts of the book, as before observed, are in
Latin, and as much of the quaint old English handwriting
is exceedingly difficult to decipher, I cannot vouch (with
the limited time at my disposal) for the complete verbal
accuracy of my transcripts, but I think the following
extracts will be found to be substantially correct. They
are taken, as will be seen, from dates widely apart from
each other, and so as to give a fair idea of the nature of
the manuscript. In fact, I venture to hope that they
will even accomplish more than this, and that you will
now be enabled to gather from them the general contents
of the whole volume, because, having had the advantage
of going more carefully through its pages, I am in a posi-
tion to say that I hardly think any entry or paragraph
of much interest or importance, save such as are of a
routine or an oft-recurring character, has been omitted
from this Report.
Presentments made oy the Constables of Salford.
" Imprimis the 30th of October '98. — Tusslement made betwixt
Nicholas Bibby and William Sorocoulde. The said Nicholas gave
the first bio we, 3d.
"The 6th of March. — An assault made by John Holland upon
George Consterdine ; in fine 6d.
"The 10th of March. — Affray made by John Holland upon
George Consterdine, when the said John Golland drew bloode, 6d.
" The loth of May. — An assault made by the aforesaid John
Golland upon George Hollinworth, Gd.
22
320 ANCIENT COURT RECORDS
" The 127th of May. — An assault made by James Horton upon
John Holland, 6d
"The 24th of May. — A tusslenient made by Thomas Gorton
upon one Stringer, (id. ; and also by Robert Ravald upon Humphrey
Stringer, 6d. And by Henry Bradie, of Eccles, upon Thomas Gee,
6d. And by John Holland upon Henry Ainsworth, 6d.
" The 30th of July. — Affray made by Francis Kay upon Lawrence
Hough, wherein the said Kay drew bloode, 6d.
" The 1st of August. — An assault made by Margaret, the wife of
Francis Boyer, upon Lawrence Hough, wherein the said Margaret
drew bloode, 6d.
" The 6th of October. — An assault made by George Sherrate, of
Blackrod, drover, upon Thomas Owdham and James Crompton,
wherein the said George Sherrate gave unto the said James Cromp-
ton a bloodye nose.
"We present Jane, the widowe of Spence Byrom, for that she
kept her dog in the street contrarye to the order of the Court, but
she hath promised to take it awaye with convenient speede between
this and the feast of St. Martyn, the Bishope, or else she is to be
merced."
"Borough of Sal ford, County oj Lancaster.
" Portmote holden there on Wednesday, the 13th day of October,
in the 17th year of the Reign of Charles, King of England,
&c. A.D. 1641, before liichard Lord Mollineux, Viscount
Maryburgh, Steward of the said Manor.
" The jury aforesaid do present John Kay for drawinge bloode
and stabbinge, three and twentieth day of September, the bodies
of Samuel Parcivall and Ester his wife ; and for hurting and draw-
ing bloode in the bodies of Charlotte Tidier, Nathaniel Benton, and
• lames Snowdeii.
"The jury aforesaid, on the information of William Bradshaw,
John Leach, Robert Hollins, and John Kay (Bilawmen), do present
these persons following for unlawfully keepinge their swine un-
yoked : Adam Byrom for two unyoked, George Browning one un-
yoked, liichard Houldham for three'' (and so on, with about twenty
others, from 3d. to 6d. each).
"The jury aforesaid, by the information of Frederick Dukesell
and Robert Widdowes, scavengers for the Lower (rate, do present
these persons following for not sweeping their streets aceordinge to
the order: Gilbert Cookson, John Makin, William Bradshaw,
Samuel Smethurst, Thomas Houldham, Thomas Collins, and Robert
Suary.
"The jury aforesaid, by the information of liichard Key and
George Bradshaw, scavengers for Greene Gate and Gravel Hole,
do present Adam Pilkington for breakinge the footwaye with his
OF THE BOROUGH OF SALFORD. 321
cart and horses before George Bradshaw his house, in the waye to
the chapel, 3d.
" The jury, &c., Adam Byrom for the foulness of the street against
his house, 3d.
"The jury aforesaid doth order thai whereas Adam Bowker and
Thomas Woofenden have collected certayne moneys, commonly
called bearinge money, it is ordered thai they paye in the same
moneys unto the nexl Constables betwixt this and November next.
"And the jury aforesaid do order that all orders formerly made
shall stande and l»e allowed (assessed).
"The Borough or Townc of Sal ford, in the County of Lancaster.
"The Portmote there houlden upon Tuesday, the 7th day of
October 1656,1 before Robert Asheton, gentleman, Steward
of the said Court.
"The jury do amerse Eobert Booth, Esq., for not causing the
street to be swept and kept clean against his barn, in 3d.
"The jury do also amerse George Mann for makinge a dunghill
in the street, to the annoyance of the inhabitants, in the sum
of lOd.
" The jury do amerse John Lightbowne, Esq., for keeping a mun-
grell cur unmuzzled, 6d.
"The jury amerse John Fletcher, of Berry, for making a rescew
upon John Williamson and Richard Fox, in the execution of their
assize, in 20s.
" The jury do also amerse Francis Birch and Katherine his wife
for making a rescew upon John Williamson, after he had distrained
of hire goods for fine clue to the Lord of this town, in 20s.
" In full Court, Mr. William Higginbotham delivered unto Mr.
Thomas Bolton, now Boroughreeve, a box with the charter of the
town and twenty £1 bonds which belong to the Borough."
The foregoing extracts are specimens in detail of the
proceedings of the Portmote Court at different periods of
time, and give a fair idea of the nature of the business
and the order in which it was disposed of.
The following are specific extracts, of more or less inte-
rest, selected successively from the entire volume : —
"1597. — The Jury clothe present that Isabell Howarth,
wydowe, Richarde Thorpe, John Widowes, George Pendleton, and
Thomas Gee have not the order for sellinge, but that the same
sould a wyne quarte [of ale] for a penie.
1 During the time of the Common wealth.
322 ANCIENT COURT RECORDS
"October 1601. — A broyle made the 7th day of August betwixt
John Maicon and Alexander Xaiden, and bloode drawne of Alex-
ander by the said Makan in 4 severall places.
" Tlie second of Auguste, or thereaboute, Adam Hulme the
younger, of Salford, did give John Leese, cobler, a bloode wype.
" October 1604. — The Jury doth augree that whereas there was
an order made here in this Courte, in the six and twentieth deli-
verie of our late Queene Elizabeth, for the suppressinge of the
abuse at weddinge dyners, viz., that noe manner of persone or per-
sones inhabiting within the towne of Salford and the vicinitie
thereof, being requested to any weddinge dynner either within the
liberties or without, should playe at the said dinner, eyther
openlye or secrettelye, above 5s. And further, that noe persone
makinge the said dinner should take above 5s. everye poole. Wee
doe agree the said order so stand and remaine in force from the
15th day of this present October, subpoena everye person so offend-
inge to forfeit to his Majestye, for every tyme, 20s.
"April 1608.1 — The Jurye doth find there is no Cookestoole, but a
payre of stocks and the dungeone to punishe unreasonable women in.
" The Jurye doth present that George Byrch, of Manchester, is
departed since this last Courte, but who is his heyre we know not.
'•' Also that Jane, the wife of Ralph Eomage, made an assaulte
and affraye uppon Ane, the wife of Robert Hygenson, at which
tyme the saide Jane dyd draw bloode by scrachinge her by the
face, and the sayd Ane drew bloode uppon the sayd Jane in break-
inge her head in her one defence.
" October 1608. — Presentment for the abuse of the punipe.
Imprimis upon William Chorlton and George Percivall for wash-
ing a calf's head and linen cloths under the pumpe.
" James Goodwine for breakinge the pumpe.
"The wiffe of James Corner for washing clothes under the
pumpe.
" May 1614.— The 8th of May 1613, there was a fraye betwixt
John Holland and Mary the wife of Francis Bowker, at which
time the said John Holland drew bloode upon the said Mary.
" The Jurye doth order that noe inhabitant of Broughton shall
layc any donge betwixt the Court House and the gate which
devydes Salford and Broughton, subpoena 20s.
" October 1616. — The Jury doe present Mister Bradshawr for not
makinge good a gate and his hedge betwixt Thomas Seddon and
him.
" We doe present Rachael, the wife of Robert Ramsbottom, for
makinge a tusslement with Marye Lorosone, and drewe bloode upon
her, the 24th of June 1616.
Al o I'any, the wife of George Halle, for a common scould.
1 The year of John Milton's birth. He died in 1674.
OF THE BOROUGH OF SALFORD. 323
"Also James Cottrell for a common drunkard.
" October 1623. — The Jurie consideringe that it was ordered al
the last Leete that Roger Unsworth, of Unsworth, shoul, I have
repayred the pavement in the Back Sired, which he houldeth by
lease under the Ryght Honorable William Earle of Derbie, hath
not done it, therefore the Jury doe order that the said pavement
shall be repayred betwixt this and Christinas next. Subpcena 20s.
"The Jurie, by the information of Ellis Makin and Steven 1.
wicke, do presente the same Ellis Makin, Geo. Cranedge, and
Scoales, for permittinge their dogges and bitches to wander abroad
unmuzzled. 6d.
"October 1628. — And whereas the Dungeon or Prison-house
standing upon Salford Bridge, belonginge unto the said Towne,
wanteth repayre, the Jury do order that the miselayers shall lay a
levy within the said towne, competent for the repayr thereof, and
the mysegatherers to gather it.
"October 1628. — The Jurie aforesaid do presente Peter Howgill
and Thomas Byrom for playinge at Tables in the house of John
Preston upon the 13th day of October 1627, after nine of the
clock at night.
"Also Robert Ryecrofte for playinge at Tables in the house of
John Preston with a stranger, the 20th of March 1627.
"Also John Mairs and William Manchester for playinge at
Tables in the house of John Preston.
" October 1629. — Item. The Jurie aforesaid do present Ferdi-
nando Pott for makinge an assault upon George Holland, of Sal-
ford, the 21st of December 1628. 12d.
"Also John Holland for makinge an assault upon Ferdinando
Pott the same clay. 6d.
" The Jurie aforesaid do present Anne and Margaret Buckley for
common scoulds.
" October 1630. x — Item. The Jurie aforesaid do presente Richard
Holland, of Manchester, blacksmith, and Wm. Bibbie of the same,
paynter, for a brawle and blood wipe, the 21st of February 1629
i2d.
"Also Peter Boardman, of Bradford, and James Barker of the
same, collier, for makinge a brawle and bloodwipe the 16th day of
May 1630. 12d.
" October 1631. — Item. The Jurie aforesaid present Robert Smith,
of the Cross Lane, for tipplingc and night walkinge, the 5th of
April 1630. 6d.
" October 1644. — Item. The Jurie aforesaid doe find that Mr.
Henry Wrigley, being lately Burroweve, had committed to his
charge and trust the Charter of the Towne, with one other box of
wrytings, and one lether bagg with wrytings in it, and two Courte
books, with certain Bonds for security of the Towne from strangers
1 The year when Booth's (the elder) Charity was founded.
324 AM IIENT COURT RECORDS
that were in danger to be troublesome; and the said Henry doth
but for the present bring in one book, delivered to Mr. Pilkington,
now Burrowreeve.
"Att this Courte was delivered up by Mr. Wrigley to the Bur-
rowreeve, Mr. Pilkington, for this yeare eleven Title Deeds of
wrytings and the Charter of Salford, one other wryting on parch-
ment concerning Toll, and 12 Bonds on paper to secure the Towne
from strangers coming to dwell in the Towne. one wooden box and
one bagge.
"October 1646. — Item. The Jurie aforesaid, by the information
of the said Constables, do presente John Kirshawe, alias Rawson,
his wife, and Robert Hollins, his wife, did breake John Kirshawe's
wife's head that it bled, October the 12th, 1646. Is.
"Also Henry Beck and his wife, and Robert Widowes and James
Widowes, for wrangling in the streets, and Henry Beck had blood
drawn on his face. Is.
" Item. The Jury aforesaid do order that the Constables chosen
for this yeare to come shall buy two Bills on the Townes charges
for to keep Manchester watch with, according to former customs,
and that the watch shall go by the Bill from doore to doore, as
formerly it hath done.
"October 1648. — And whereas their is information this day
brought unto this Jury, by several of ye inhabitants of ye Borough
of Salford, that Thomas Woofenden, late of this town, have received
several sums of money from several of ye inhabitants of the said
town, upon ye return unto their habitations after the late time of
visitation of this town with the pestilence, under the name of
mulct money. This Jury therefore doth order that the said Thomas
Woofenden and all others that have received any of the said mulct
money shall restore and repay to such persons so much money as
they have received of them severally, within the space of one
month after this present Court,
" October 1650. l — Whereas their is great abuse committed by
divers persons who bring coals to be sold in Salford and Manches-
ter, by gelding and robbing their loads before they come to the
town, we do order that whosoever shall so robbe, geld, or take
away some portion thereof, and afterwards sell them for whole
loads, shall forfeit that or those loads so robbed, and the asserers
for that purpose shall seize upon them, and afterwards they shall
be distributed amongst the poore.
" < )ctober 1654. — We, the Jury, do present Mr. William Roadley
and Edmund Ouldham, for received of Katherine Ouldham, the
daughter of Edmund Ouldham, now being with child, and there-
fore we being fearfull of her being burdensome to the towne, do
1 This and the forty-five subsequent extracts are during the period
of the Commonwealth.
OF THE BOROUGH OF SALFORD. 325
give them ten days fcyme for her removal; and in case she doea
not remove in this fcyme, they are to pay £5.
"April 1055. — Whereas the Charter belonging to this Borough
and Towne hath formerly remained in the hands of Adam Pilking-
ton, gentleman, deceased, and is now in the hands of Mr. Thomas
Pilkington, his son, we, the Jury, do therefore order that the said
Mr. Thomas Pilkington shall bring the said Charter, together with
such other hooks or writings as remain in his hands and custody,
and which belong to this towne, and deliver the same, to the pre-
sent Burroreeve of this towne, at or before the 4th day of June
next, to-be by him kept during the time of his office, and so to
other his successors, to be kept for the use of the said Burro-
reeve, and according to the ancient customs of this towne, upon
paine of five pounds. And that the Borroreeve, upon receipt of
the same, shall give the said Mr. Pilkington his note for the receipt
thereof.
"October 1655. — The Jury do order that whereas Martha, wife
of Peter Ffarrant, did most disorderly abuse Mr. Adam Warming-
ham, then Constable of this towne, by most uncivell language, in
the execution of his assize, the Jury doth therefore order that the
Constables for the present year shall put the bridle upon her, and
bear it for one whole hour.
"October 1668. — The Jury having possessed a box, together
with 50 bonds, the charter, together with a letter from William
Gerard, from Mr. William Higginbothame, the said Boroughreeve,
doe order the same to Mr. Myles Gathorne, now Boroughreeve,
together with a deed of Peter Seddone."
There are, of course, many other interesting inquiries
which might be suggested on a more minute and exten-
sive examination of these records, but I trust sufficient
matter has been deduced in this Report to establish their
importance, at any rate from a municipal as well as an
archaeological point of view.
Judging from the size and contents of the manuscript
volume, the probability is that there are still missing
what is equal to about ten more volumes of similar size
to complete the series. Whether these or any of tin 'in
will ever be recovered is a matter of conjecture. Efforts
have from time to time been made in that direction with-
out success, and judging from the peculiar way in which
this present volume has come to light, and the distant
part of the country where it was found, it appears not
unlikely that the rest of them, if in existence, which is
doubtful, are scattered about in different places. Whether
326
A.NCIENT COURT RECORDS, ETC.
it is worth while to pursue a systematic course of adver-
tising for them, which would be necessarily widespread
and costly, is a matter for the Corporation or your Com-
mittee to decide.
I may be permitted to add, however, that until every
effort has been made to discover the missing volumes, I
think it would be hardly worth while to produce a
printed transcript {verbatim et literatim) of the present
volume,
RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
IN
ARGOLIS, PHOCIS, BOEOTIA, AND OTHER
PARTS OF GREECE.
BY J. S. HIENE\ LL.D., F.S.A., V.P., V.P.R.S.L., MEMBEK OF
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ATHENS, ETC.
(Read 20th March 1895.)
N the excavations at Mykenae by Dr.
Schliemann being made known to the
public, my friend Mr. William Simpson,
at that time the chief artist on the
staff of The Illustrated London News,
was commissioned to go to Greece and
see Dr. Schliemann, and, if possible, the
exhumed relics also. Calling on him, by chance, at his
chambers in Lincoln's Inn Fields, he told me he was
leaving at eight o'clock the same evening for Greece.
The Peloponnesus and its surrounding islands had
already provided a field for my former researches, and I
inquired if a companion would be agreeable ? ' Had I
known earlier,' he replied, ' I should have been glad ;
but time now makes it impossible, as I leave this house
at eight o'clock.'
It was sharp work, but my passport, always ready,
only required a fresh vise or two, and rushing home,
packing my travelling bags, procuring circular notes,
and calling at certain embassies and consulates, and 1
was with him at half-past seven, and, to his surprise,
once 'more ready for the glorious East.
Athens had changed greatly since I first visited it,
and much of its improvement had taken place since I
had then last seen it. The police regulations gave a
"28 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
promise of security, and enabled me to plan expeditions
in directions supposed to be then free from brigands.
On this occasion Mr. Simpson and I were entertained
by Mr. Stewart, the British Minister, and I met the
Marquess of Bute, with whom I had already been in
communication relative to archaeological researches in
the Island of Bute, and from whom I obtained some
valuable information upon the particular study to which
I have devoted so many years at great financial cost.
Mr. Sneyd was then with the Marquess, and I was
asked on several occasions to accompany them on moon-
light excursions to the Acropolis, the Temple of Jupiter
Olympius, and surrounding objects of interest. On one
of these occasions three owls, the emblems of Minerva,
settled on the western pediment of the Parthenon.
Did time permit, I could dilate on the exceeding
beauty of these moonlight scenes, and the charm of the
enjoyable unmolested excursions, but my subject in the
present paper is mainly limited to the mysterious
Argolic district.
Mr. Simpson having introductions to King George,
our expedition was most successful at Mykenae.
As his special object demanded great exactness in
pictorial representation, I had much leisure, during our
stay there, to inspect those features of archaeological,
architectural, and topographical interest, which were to
me all absorbing. During my solitary rambles, I
measured the district of Mykenae and planned the area
shown in the map now exhibited, which was published
in the British Architect from my survey.
There was not a hole or cranny of the wondrous walls,
the Treasuries, the supposed tombs of Electra, or of
Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, and other points of
interest I did not look into. The summit of St. Elias,
ihe"Ayiov,'Opo<i, or holy mount, above the city, with the
remains of its small mystic temple, difficult of access,
was particularly entrancing. It forms the centre and
most lofty of three summits, which rendered the district
a sacred one. Three summits being the most striking
feature in the location of almost every place of the
special ancient worship I have so long studied, too
IX A.RGOLIS, PHOCIS, liOKOTIA, ETC. 329
voluminous even to refer to here, but ranging from the
orientation of the Mount of Olives, in reference to the
sacred place of sacrifice, found in full functional opera-
tion by the refugee from Ur of the Chaldees, and
therefore long existent prior to his coming; to the
triple points of Cruachan on the east, or the Eildone or
Roman Trimontium on the west side of Caledonia.
While comparing places so widely distant from each
other, it may not be unsuitable to note the close
resemblance, in form and structural arrangement, of the
stone monuments west of the roadway of approach to
the citadel of Mykenae, with many similar remains in
Britain and Western France.
The visits of Phocaeans and early Greeks to the
Atlantic coast, and their well-known settlement at
Massilia — Marseilles — indicates communication between
the makers of these western rude stone monuments and
those near Mykenae.
In my paper on "Golden Apples", read before this
Association in March 1893, I traced a people from
Thrace, who appear to have gone there from Persia, by
means of their sacred trees, to western France and
Britain ; and described some of their ceremonies and
names as still existing in the Gironcl and other districts
near the Rhone. This additional point tends to support
the former in the intercourse between the maritime
visitors of the East and West.
From the summit of St. Elias, near the mystic temple,
the whole plain of Argos is visible. And as several
excursions were made to Nauplia, Tiryns, Argos, etc.,
the localisation became one of extreme interest.
The close proximity of Nemea, with its one great local
truncated height of Apesas, indicates a point which
presented itself forcibly to my mind. The position of
Apesas with reference to the heights above Mykenae
assimilates to the three summits of Olivet and the sacred
mount of Sacrifice to their west already referred to ;
except the difference of direction to the east and north,
but the two highest points were visible from each.
The Nemean lion of course was not a quadruped, but a
local potentate. But the badge, or armorial bearings,
330 liKSEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
of the house of Mykenae was the lion. Is it too much
to suppose that Nemea with its sacred grove, its theatre,
st allium, its later temple to Zeus Nemeius, and its ancient
Hellenic foundations, was the place of public worship
and festive games presided over by the rulers of Mykenae?
It was a place of very archaic sacrificial worship.
Perseus having traditionally sacrificed on the solitary
mount to Zeus Apesantius. But Perseus is known, in
mythology, as the dragon slayer. The tomb of Opheltes
was in the Nemean Grove, and Opheltes was killed by a
dragon or serpent. All this points strongly to Apesas
being a place of immolation to the dragon. On examin-
ing the truncated summit, not a few indications of
levelling by labour were apparent. An early original
levelling, for ceremonial purposes, was not improbably
much increased to procure stone for the subsequent
temple and other public buildings. I can imagine no
place promising more fertile return for excavation than
the accumulated ruins and debris near the Doric temple
and the site of the sacred grove.
My suggestions as to searching the mass of ruins at
Pergamus led to the discovery of the Gigantomachia,
now at Berlin.
Pausanias describes the tomb of Opheltes as being
surrounded with a stone inclosure in which were several
altars. This corresponds exactly with the stone inclosure
of the tombs at Mykenae.
The whole matter is strengthened by the fact that
Nemea, like Olympia, and the area for the Isthmian
games, was a sanctuary. It was not a place of habitation,
though a village in the neighbourhood, supposed to have
been called Bembina, was said to have been the haunt
of the lion, the cave of which is still shown. There are
several similar caves in the valley, and they may have
served as dungeons for captives, till the period of immo-
lation arrived, under the lion-chief of Mykenae.
Perseus is said to have taken Cyclopean builders to
the district of Argos, and also to have ruled at Tiryns.
This is a strong indication that he built Mykenae while
occupying Tiryns. He successfully opposed the introduc-
tion of the Bacchic orgies or serpent ceremonies at Argos,
IN ARGOLIS, PHOCJS, BOEOTIA, ETC. 33]
and was worshipped as a hero-demigod in the plain
between Argos and Mykenae. Herodotus refers bo a
temple to Perseus at Chemnis, in Egypt, which is \,-yV
remarkable, as the plan of Tiryns, which 1 carefully
measured, accords in device with the Egyptian temples.
Games of great importance were established al Nemea;
so great that they ranked as one of the four greal
national festivals of the Greeks. Over these games,
called Nemea or Nemaia, presided at intervals the
supreme powers of Argos, Corinth, and Cleonae. hut
Argos and Mykenae were ruled by Agamemnon, who
also subdued Sicyon, really the commercial port of the
north of Argolis, as Nauplia was of the south.
Cleonae, always classed by Roman writers as a part of
Argolis, does not appear as under the rule of Argos in
Greek writings, but rather as an independent state.
This however could, from its smallness, hardly have been
the case practically. Argos was confederate and closely
connected with it.
It would thus appear that the Nemea were very much
under the power of Argos. From its inland position,
the conical form of its site, the temple of Hercules, and
other points, Cleonae was probably a sacerdotal city,
inhabited by priests and officiators at the successive
sacrificial ceremonies performed on Mount Apesas ; as
the dragonistic rites, succeeded by the Hellenic cere-
monies instituted by Prometheus in Sicyon ia, and
consequently at Cleonae, required functionaries. Its
close proximity to the sacred area, and its being the
only inhabited town near it, would seem conclusive on
this point. But its form, the conical hill around which
it was uniformly built up to the summit, being formed
into six great circular ramparts, which, like the walls of
Ecbatana, and other cities of sun-worshippers, evidently
had reference to the heavenly bodies, clearly distinguishes
it as a sacred abode of the archaic priests of Helios.
It would, therefore, be free from military rule, as the
sacred hill of Argolis.
It is said that Prometheus deceived Zeus by the
introduction of the " Hellenic Sacrifices". This seems
strongly to indicate that a site originally devoted to
332 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
dragonistic sacrifice was defiled, and unfit for purer
worship. It seems to have rendered the district so
sacred to the Greek mind, that the name Mijkcovt], —
Mekone, was given to the place subsequently called
Sicyon, which is admitted to have been a sacerdotal
name, as under it the district was called the " dwelling-
place of the blessed."
The whole of the north of Argolis was, therefore, a
sacred area, and in times prior to the Pelopidae was
apparently the sanctuary of the whole of the country
on the southern side of the Corinthian gulf, which was
known as Aegialeia, which name was borne by the
present Sicyon as the capital or place of worship.
The dragonistic worship must have existed at Sicyon,
as well as at Apesas, as the former was, from being one
of the earliest abodes of metal workers, of Cabeiric
occupation, and amongst the Cabeiri the dragon was a
chief deity. In that sense it also bore the name of
Telchinia.
The story of the foundation of the Nemean games
seems to set aside all question of the dragonistic ritual
on Mount Apesas. Opheltes being slain by a dragon,
the retaliation by death of the dragon, and the sacer-
dotal and regal questions involved, open up the grandest
insight into the earlier worship of the Greeks, which is
markedly dracontic ; and upon close examination seems
to appertain to Zeus himself.
Condensed in a few words it stands thus. Cadmus,
in search of his sister Europa, is ordered by the oracle
at Delphi to cease his search, and to build a city on a
site to which a cow should direct him ; and he accord-
ingly built Thebes. About to sacrifice the cow to
Athena, he directed water to be brought from a well
sacred to Ares. This well was guarded by a dragon,
who is described as a son of Ares, therefore a man — a
dragon-priest, who killed the men sent by Cadmus.
The latter then slew the dragon, and, as advised by
Athena, "sowed the dragon's teeth". These grew into
armed men, who slew each other, five only remaining,
who were founders of the noble families of Thebes.
Cadmus, evidently for the homicide of the priest, was
IN A.RGOLIS, PHOOIS, BOEOTIA, BTi
condemned to penal servitude, for a period which is not
clearly defined. He then ruled; and Zeus gave him
Harmonia as his wife. All the gods of Olympos honoured
the nuptials by their presence, Cadmus made a formal
presentation to Harmonia of the peplos and of the metal
works given him by Hephaestos, showing the connection
of dragon-worship with the Cabeiric, confirmed by the
breastplate of Agamemnon being decorated with three
dragons. After which Cadmus and Harmonia were
changed into dragons, and were conveyed by Zens to
Elysium.
The story of Opheltes is almost a repetition. The
two cannot be separated, as the dramatis personae are
too closely interwoven.
A conspiracy was formed against Thebes. Adrastus,
King of Argos, aids a son of the Theban king in an
attack on his late father's city. Five well-known chiefs
join them, and their party is known under the title of
the " Seven against Thebes." These chiefs, on their way
from Argos, met the child Opheltes near Apesas, who
was in the hands of his nurse. The child was the son
of the priest of Zeus. The nurse left the child to take
the chieftains to a well, during their absence Opheltes
was killed by a dragon. The seven chiefs slew the
dragon, and instituted funeral games, to celebrate the
catastrophe, every third year.
As Opheltes was the son of Lycurgus, not the law-
giver of Sparta, but King of Nemea, and is also called
the son of the priest of Zeus, the oriental features of
priest and king come forward, and the whole appears to
have been the outcome of a sacerdotal opposition, and
the institution of the Nemean games and sacrifices
clearly displaced the dragon rites.
Much as the later poets and mythologists have changed
the earlier stories, I find no satisfactory explanation of
the sowing the dragon's teeth at the founding of Thebes
by Cadmus, though it seems to me very apparent, from
the local history.
Evidence enough exists of the previous dragon-
worship in the murder by the dragon-priest of the
innovators, by a substituted sacrifice under Cadmus, and
334 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
of the consequent hostilities. These hostilities would he
the more hitter because Cadmus was clearly a deserter
from their cause, or, as we should say, a pervert. He
had joined the school of Athena, or, of the arts and
sciences. He was clearly instructed to institute the
sacrifice of oxen in lieu of human beings. He introduced
letters, though he retained his Cabeiric calling, by
working the mines in Thrace, combining metallic art
with mental development.
In Boeotia were two antagonistic cities, Athenae and
Eleusis, the one using the dragonistic rites of Demeter,
the other the enlightened advancement of Athena.
Both Pelasgic, and therefore the more hostile.
These cities were engulphed by Lake Copais, and the
need for restoration evidently led to the directions to
Cadmus to found Thebes. Being instructed by Athena,
the promoter of wisdom, arts, sciences, agriculture, and
letters, he of course adopted that party. Ares, the war
deity (the war party), who presided over the water that
was to supply the new city, clearly sided with the
dragon - worship, and murder and reprisals ensued.
Athena advised the sowing of the dragon's teeth, or, as
we express it, the drawing of the dragon's teeth, or the
sowing or burying of the hatchet. To sow, is to bury,
and in a sense to destroy, at least to produce a complete
change, and to get rid of the old form. In other words
the adherents of Athena were directed to overcome the
dragon-worshippers. The sowing of the teeth produced
armed men, i.e., hostilities ensued, and the chiefs under
Cadmus were victorious, and became the aristocracy of
the new city, Thebes. The sacrifice of oxen in lieu
of men was established. And to quell the hostility
arising from the two populations having to occupy one
city, as each would necessarily strive for the mastery,
Harmonia, i.e., harmony and peace were established by
Cadmus, i.e., a compromise was effected.
He instituted the peplos or robe for the women,
thereby not only giving dignity, but occupation by the
manufacture of garments. And occupied the men by
imitating the gold and metal work of Hephaestos. The
worship of Cadmus and Harmonia after death, by dragon
IN ARGOLIS, PHOCIS, BOEOTIA, ETC.
emblems, appears to imply a revolution, and a restora-
tion ^ of the degraded worship. From the despised
condition to which the Boeotians fell in the ..pinion of
the people of Attica, who were the adherents of A.th<
this is probable — certainly art was abandoned and
advancement arrested.
In the establishment of the Nemean games similar
hostile combats were instituted, to be fought out by
opposing warriors ; and even in the Olympic games the
original institution was the same.
As there was a considerable interval between the
founding of Thebes and the slaughter of Opheltes by
the dragon worshippers, the open antagonism must have
continued, and as the avengers were the seven chiefs on
their road to attack Thebes, they were clearly of the
enlightened school of Argos, and this makes it probable
that the two sons of Oedipus headed the opposing
religious factions, thus leading to such a restoration of
the former debased worship.
The winged Sphinx was so like the dragon of the
ancients that we have in it the very form of the dragon-
deity, which was evidently restored and oracular in the
time of Oedipus, with wholesale human sacrifices.
After my return from Asia Minor I took the way
from Argolis to Boeotia, and descending with Clarke, and
Leake, and Pausanias, to the semicircular curve of the
Hesiodic Helicon, by way of Ascra to Thebes, the whole
topography of the site was found to support this, and
the various temples strongly confirm it. Thus — The
city was divided into two equal parts by a stream ; the
Cadmeia, in which were the Acropolis, and the Agora ;
and the lower city or Amphion. The first contained a
temple, stadium, etc., dedicated to Hercules, who was
identified with the sun. A temple and an altar to
Athena, and a statue of that goddess, with the ancienl
title Onga — Sophocles mentions two temples to her —
Onga being Phoenician, and Cadmus of that people,
who were dragonites, he clearly left them to found a
more refined religion in Greece.
Outside the Cadmeia was a temple to the Cabeiri or
art metal workers. The second or lower city contained
23*
3o6 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
a theatre and temple to Dionysus and a monument to
Semele.
This part, the Amphion, consists of'a succession of sinu-
osities, which, in outline, strongly resemble a serpent, the
head or highest of which was sacred to Amphion and
Zethus, and a more northern one to Dionysus. Over this
serpent form rise the three peaks to the east.
Amphion was closely connected with Sicyon through
his mother Antiope, and the rites of Dionysus were
well-known serpent orgies. The lower city seems to
have been occupied by the conquered serpent- wor-
shippers.
On the Ismenian mount probably stood the dragon,
above the well of Ares, in the form of the winged
Sphinx ; afterwards replaced by Apollo. Such a dragon
is shown on the coins of Teos, and by Dr. Schliemann's
" winged sphinxes".
Although mythologists have not seen the grand
feature in the founding of Thebes, yet the story of the
presence of all the Olympic deities at the harmonious
establishment by Cadmus ; of the substitution of harm-
less sacritices in lieu of human ones (which was the
grand feature also of the Heraea at Argos), is, under
such a description, the most powerful indication of the
desire of the Greek mind to escape from the terrible
rites of a worship of the most degraded and murderous
ceremonial ; and representing the approval of the com-
bined powers of heaven in its abolition, and the fearful
yoke under which it oppressed the people. While the
Cadmeian rites were so similar to those in honour of
Hera at Argos that the term Harmonia seems to imply
hallowing the institution of marriage in opposition to
the degrading orgies of the dragon.
With the cessation of the dracontic worship, and the
institution of the Heliacal, would cease, I assume, the
exclusive power of Mykenae over the rites of Apesas ;
and Argos, always averse to the former, would join with
Corinth in preserving the then newly instituted games,
which, being funereal, always a feature of dragonistic
worship, would now celebrate its decease or disuse ;
while their incorporation into the Greek Kalendar, by
r\ A.RG0LI8, PHOCIS, BOEOTIA, ETC. 337
the calculation of Nemeads amongst the Olympiads,
clearly maintained the worship of Helios. In this
Cleonae, (he sacerdotal city of the priests of the sun.
would act as a moderator between Corinth and Argos;
and the judgment of the Nemean arbiters was noted as
equitable.
On the point of the lion, it is remarkable that one of
the seven, wdio was of the party of Adrastus, bore on
his shield the figure of a lion, and also was ro styled,
showing that my assumption of the dragon-man, as a
priest, and the Nemean ljon, as a king, is reasonable,
from the expressions in common use at the time. A not her
of the seven was called the Boar, from his device.
This glance at the polity and religion of the district
indicates my reason for a careful examination of it, on
such basis.
I have been enabled to work out the institution of
dragon- worship in the various parts of Greece, and its
introducers, but my subject must be at present localised
to Argolis. I am able to show, however, that, in very
early times, a great dracontic mission passed through
Sicyonia, and from it, probably, the dragon ceremonies
there were instituted.
Argos seems to have been always hostile to this
worship. But the great fact remains, that the whole
of northern Argolis was a scene of the most remarkable
mystic rites, including the dragonistic surroundings of
Demeter at Phlius, on another triple-peaked hill then
dedicated to her, but now to the Panagia.
While the little church of St. George, always now
dominating in Greece where the dragon was previously
worshipped, stands at the entrance to the ascent by the
sacred way, at the foot of the triple-peaked hill,
Tricaranum (three-headed), the three peaks of which,
described by Ptoss and Colonel Leake, really consist of
one peak, forming the head as it were of a serpent with
two vertical sinuations of a ridge, much less winding
than that described, in my paper "On Pre-Roman
Works in Britain and Italy", as existing in Latiuni,
being governed by the natural form of the hill in each
case. It would be vain to search for such forms as I
:'.;*> RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
have found in Scotland and elsewhere in places covered
with ruins and debris, but the natural form of the object
worshipped would be even more impressive to a people
willing to found cities where a cow should recline, as
Thebes, and which object could be seen from great
distances, as in the present case. Cuttings by labour
giving prominence to the sinuosities are visible here as
in Latium. The city, on the latter site, is said to have
originated from the presence of a sow and her young.
I cannot leave this region of mystic rites without
reference to a very remarkable connection between the
four sites of the four great national festivities of the
Greeks, marked by their celebrated games, which has
not, I think, ever been noticed. I was particularly led
to notice it in my visits to these four sites with this
special object ; after carefully reading the description by
Aeschylus, of the signal given by Agamemnon to
Clytemnestra from the Pergamenian Mount to the
height at Argos. The distances are easy, as compared
with Troy and Argos, for signals by lire. The plain of
Olympia is hidden from Parnassus, but the mountain
heights are grandly visible, as seen in my drawings.
Signals could easily have been made between all these
places, so that by simultaneous arrangement, information
of coming embassies, for peace or war, could be conveyed
and anticipated ; while to the public mind they would
indicate nothing beyond an offering by fire to Zeus,
Apollo, Poseidon, or Helios. Assuming the signalling
from Troy to Argos, the continuation to Delphi, and
thence to Elis, by the mountain Erymanthus, would be
a simple matter.
In vain we look now for the sacred groves. The
remorseless Turks despoiled the Grecian mountains of
I heir trees. But on Parnassus, which was not disturbed,
I found the groves of superb indigenous trees telling-
how beautiful the sacred groves must have been. These
trees, and the shrubs on the less elevated hills, being
highly resinous, vast fires could be lighted in rapid
succession from height to height ; just as in the times
of the oak forests in Britain the beacon hills could be
illuminated with great rapidity.
IN AUGOLIS, I'liocis, i ;< »k< »Ti \ ; i:m . :;:;<.)
In the Greek islands T was aide, od several occasions,
to signal to the captain of my yacht, to go on to a Dear
landing-place, or to go hack to my starting-place, l>v
means of* burning wild olive, ilex, and lentisk, all of
which grow freely near the shores.
In addition to these points I have been able to work
out connections in the foundations of the four festivals
and their original forms of worship, which caused the
institutions of the games, not hitherto identified. I
had to make several visits to Argolis to work out all
this, and to examine the various sites. Mr. Simpson
and I returned to Athens after a close inspection of the
district from Mykenae to the coast of the Gulf of Argos.
The arrival of the Princess of Wales at Athens
occupied Mr. Simpson in making drawings of personages
at the Greek Court. This left me free, and enabled me
to have several interviews with Dr. Schliemann,
Mrs. Schliemann, and their charming daughter. I also
obtained permission, under a promise of secrecy, and a
severe pledge to make no drawings, to inspect all the
exhumed relics from Mykenae, then in the National
Bank, a pledge which, till they were publicly exhibited
at Athens, I religiously kept. This had been denied to
Mr. Sinrpson, though supported by a letter from the
King.
As Mr. Simpson expected to be occupied for some
weeks, we managed to leave Athens for Troy by a date
which left me free to return again to Argolis, to visit
Sparta and Mistra, and to examine the Taygetus range,
I started again, retracing our former route with minute
care.
In riding over the plain of Argos my horse stumbled
at a small mound only a few inches in height. I took
slight notice of it at the time, but it made me more
watchful, and I afterwards observed some such slight,
risings in other parts of the plain. They recalled to my
memory similar slight irregularities of surface which I
had encountered on the Marquess of Lothian's estate of
Timpendean, and which there covered very interesting
relics. I had planned to take the whole district from
west to east, from Lerna to Epidaurus, and to ascend
340 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
Agamemnon's beacon mount of Arachnaeus, and to
return b} Troezenia, and the islands on the coast; a
district, which in common with Nauplia, was originally
Egyptian.
It was less the power of the man-healer Aesculapius,
than the delicious bracing air, the invigorating mountain
rambles, the health-giving aroma from the resinous
trees and shrubs, which even the Turks seem to have
spared for their own delight at Epidaurus, that almost
compelled health and restoration to the sick ; all the
temples of Aesculapius being placed on very healthy
sites. In the present case the delight from enchanting
sea views, of Aegina, Athens, and the coast, with delicious
sea breezes and shelter from inclement winds and unusual
heat, already anticipated convalescence.
A tradition leads to the conclusion that the groves
around Epidaurus were graced with the orange in very
ancient times as they are now. It is recorded by
Apollodorus, that at the marriage of Zeus and Hera on
Mount Thornax, in southern Argolis, all the gods
honoured the latter with presents, and that Ge, the
earth, presented her with a tree bearing golden apples,
one of those which had been watched by the Hesperides
in the garden of Hera, near Mount Atlas.
The ride round the coast of Troezenia was charming.
The islands I inspected on a subsequent visit to Nauplia.
Passing Nauplia I found what I had already observed,
but had not so far had time to examine, several pyramidal
structures, small pyramids, in short, which occur at
intervals over the plain of Argos.
Before describing these, which certainly are not Greek
in origin, it may be well to note the fact that, with the
exception of Argos itself, not only the northern part but
the whole district of Argolis from Sicyon on the north
to Tiryns on the south ; and from Lerna on the west to
Epidaurus on the east, was entirely dracontic in its
worship. The extreme concentration of the worship in
Argolis is noticeable; it included also the Bacchic
serpent orgies, and those of Demeter in the south, even
more prominently than at Phlius.
Tins is interesting as showing the opposing worship.
IN A.RGOLTS, PHOCTS, BOEOT] \. ETC. '■'> I I
Hera, the wife of Zeus, was the only really married one
of the goddesses of Olympos, and was. in consequence,
the goddess of marriage, and of the birth of children :
in oilier words she presided over whal is known as female
honour and legitimacy.
In the dracontic ceremonies the most debasing orgistic
rites were prominent. The two things were as li-ht
and darkness, no compromise could be made ; Argos was
assumed to have been the place of her birth, and three
temples existed to her, one in the city, one near the
Acropolis, and the Heraeon, between Argos and Mykenae.
Being the wife of Zeus, it is reasonable, to suppose thai
when the Heliacal worship was introduced in his honour
in northern Argolis, the Heraea in honour of his wilt-
were instituted at Argos, which was probably previously
devoted to the serpent, as Argos also had its three
sacred summits on its sinuous ridge, on one of which is
its Acropolis.
The Heraean ceremonies were dignified and majestic.
The priestesses were of undoubted integrity, and the high-
priestess, in opposition toDemeter's twodragons,wasdrawn
in a chariot by two snow-white oxen. In the procession,
which was headed by 100 oxen, there followed a vast
number of men and youths in armour; and matrons and
maidens of the highest birth, clad in splendid attire wit h
their hair loose and flowing, were the vindicators and
attestors of virtue and conjugal fidelity. The ceremony
ended in the sacrifice of a hecatomb ; the 100 oxen being
slain and distributed to the populace. These more
refined views spread over Greece, and gradually displaced
the dark mysteries of the serpent-worshippers.
But all this was in the State that has been under
consideration, which was undoubtedly the theatre of
mysterious ceremonials unequalled by any other part or
parts of Greece. It will be readily undersl I with
what avidity any relics I might find would be treasured.
111*11111
The stumbling of my horse on a small hillock had
already given me pleasing anticipations of the possibility.
But how was the matter to be accomplished. The
vigilance of the Government by a military guard at
Mykenae, and the frequent visits of police officials on
342 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
my route, indicated that any attempt at excavation
■would at once be checked. The rich finds by Dr. Schlie-
niuiiii would have made the matter more difficult, and
raised opposition from him, as his permission to search
included the whole of the district and plain of Argos. I
therefore busied myself only with the small pyramids,
and that in an informal manner, arranging so as to pass
the two hours always demanded for the mid-day rest for
the horses, in or near one of them. The men as a matter
of course went to sleep after eating, till roused for
travel ; and I interested my dragoman in stories about
the Egyptians, who Pausanius says settled at Nauplia,
and who he asserts came from Egypt with Danaus.
We were on very good terms, and as I made it a mere
matter of fun to search for some Egyptian relics, he and
I, on several occasions carried on considerable excavations
in and around these pyramids. I was also enabled by
these means to examine some of the small hillocks
already mentioned.
In the process of these diggings, conducted often by
means of the wooden casings to my bedstead and other
parts of my baggage, for I had to take such furniture as
well as cooking apparatus, the full depth of the founda-
tion was often reached, the soil being light and dry. I
was able to ascertain that the substructure was without
mortar, and also, in several instances, to find the base-
ment on a rock. This is the case with Tiryns also.
In several instances I found, what at that time I did
not understand the value of, fragments of pottery, and a
few examples of what seemed to me slag.
It was not till I had carefully examined the Troad,
and the excavations of Hissarlik, as described in the
Journal in 1892, that I was impressed with the idea
that the pottery was the same I had seen at Argos.
I did not collect the latter, as it then seemed to me
valueless, but after repeated visits to Troy, I visited the
islands on the coast, those off Troezene, in particular
Hydra, and made a third visit to Nauplia.
Having refilled the excavations at the time, to prevent
suspicion of my horse-keepers and baggage-bearers, I
had good hope of again finding this pottery, having
IN ARGOUS, PHOCIS, BOEOT1 \, i.h . ;; |:;
carefully described in my note-book the pyramids and
spots near them which I had examined, and on my
return I found them, just as they had been replaced in
their former positions of rest, and took them to my
yacht at Nauplia.
Haying, at Dr. Schliemann's suggestions, secured a
quantity of the fragments of pottery when at Troy, I
was able to realise the resemblance between them and
those of the Argolic plain, which closely correspond.
Several specimens I gave to our esteemed vice-president,
Mr. Cecil Brent, F.S.A., and to other friends, so that
my own are only illustrations, but as such are sufficient
for the purpose of comparison, including almost all the
examples published in Dr. Schliemann's Mycence and Tlios.
As I did not intend to return to Nauplia again (per-
haps not even to Greece), I was less careful as to the
renewed excavations, and having provided myself, at
Smyrna, with a light spade, the handle of which I had
designed to fold into a small compass, to avoid attracting
attention, I not only regained my formerly exhumed
articles, but, by making further diggings, was rewarded
by the three bronze objects I now exhibit.
There is nothing remarkable in the bronze mirror, nor
the belt-buckle, but the bronze horse has a special inte-
rest. Homer uses the expression, "Apyos 'nnr66oTov (the
horse-feeding Argos), showing that the place was famous
for its horses and their pastures. But the singularity in
this case is, that the formation of the horse, which is
almost grotesque, is identical in outline with the horses
now made near Troy, in terra-cotta, as toys for children,
showing that this archaic form has been retained to the
present day notwithstanding its want of proportion and
symmetry. I exhibit an example of each.
While on the subject of these evidently Egyptian
structures, of which no other examples exist in Europe,
I may mention that in Sicyonia the plan of the Temple
of Titane, which I exhibit, is similar to the plans of cer-
tain temples in Egypt, and of designs also still existing
in these islands, as at Sligo and other places in Ireland
and Scotland, one of which I unearthed on the Duke of
Argyle's estate at Ach-na-Goul.
34 4 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS
Titane, which lies midway between S icy on and Plilius,
was sacred to Titan, described as one of the brothers of
the Sun-Zeus ; but as the Titans and Giants were inter-
mixed in mythology, as being equally the children of Ge
or Gaia, and as some of them were closely connected
with the serpent, as in the Gigantomachia, now in Berlin
(of which I was the first discoverer at Pergamos), there
seems to be, in this case, a strong feature of the old wor-
ship. A temple to Athena was also on this acropolis, whose
emblem was the serpent. There was here also a temple
to Aesculapius, the dragon-god.
It is worth notice that many of the so-called giants'
graves in the western parts of the British Islands are
similar in design to the plan of the Temple at Titane.
The worship of the serpent in Egypt was of quite a
different kind to that of the Pelasgic Greeks, which was
distinguished as dragon-worship, the deity being always
propitiated by human sacrifices, as in the founding of
Thebes, and the slaughter of Opheltes, which have been
described.
It will be seen that my subject is entirely different
from Dr. Schliemann's, yet there is a common base.
The fourth tomb in the Agora at Mykenae, opened by
him, contained five bodies. The face of each, save one,
had masks of gold ; there were also signet-rings and a
crown of gold on the head of one, and the gold mask on
the face was a lions head. Aeschylus describes Agamem-
non as a lion, whose tomb this probably was, with his
personal attendants. There was also the head of Hera
with the sun.
In the third tomb gold crowns were also found to three
bodies in it, and dragons and lions in solid gold; "six
serpents round a central circle"; contests with lions; "a
golden flying dragon"; stars, crosses, sceptres with crystal
orbs; the sun with revolving stars, etc.; two figures
cut wined with serpents ; an ornament in shape like the
Druidical neck-plate, but decorated with points ; a cross
with entwined serpents ; "six winged Sphinxes", which
I )r. Schliemann connects with Oedipus; a coffer for sacred
instruments; covered cups and caskets, apparently for
sacred purposes, all of gold. Thus indicating a tomb of
royal priests.
IN ARGOLIS, PHOCIS, BOEOTIA, ETC.
345
• The lion-badge was, it would seem, brought from Asia
by Pelops, where, with the sun, it still forms the Persian
standard. Some of the stone ornaments are clearly Per-
sian in design.
Gold Lion's Head Mask found on the Face of crowned Figure in
Royal Tomb, apparently that of Agamemnon.
From a Sketch by the Author, made on the Exhibition of
the Mykenae Relics at Athens.
Dr. Schliemann found no resemblance between the
archaic pottery of Argolis (Tiryns and Mykenae) and that
of Troy ; but as these examples agree, they are quite dis-
tinct from other Argolic pottery ; and as I exhibit a
Trojan specimen agreeing closely with his description of
the Tirynthian blackware, and an exact counterpart of a
silver cup at Mykenae, the resemblance seems clear. I
exhibit also, from the bottom of one of the deepest tombs
in the Agora, an object probably of Egyptian or Phoeni-
cian colouring, closely resembling lapis lazuli. It is a
346 RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS, ETC.
fragment of some object crushed during the excavations,
hut it is very beautiful. It appears to me to have been
the casket for holding the two crystal orbs found in this
tomb; with it are these portions of bronze swords, also
from the same tomb, the " third" or sacerdotal tomb.
Solid Gold Flying Dragon found on the Breast of a crowned Figure,
apparently a High Priest.
From a Sketch by the Author, made on the Exhibition
of the Mykenae relics at Athens.
Dr. Schliemann (p. 9 of his excavations at Tiryns)
describes the water-conduits, but states that he could
not understand their purpose, as they would not retain
water. Nothing is plainer. Such conduits are found
abundantly with the early Cyclopean works in Etruria.
They are clearly to drain off water, not to supply it, and
would be necessary in sudden rains, or, as at Tiryns,
sudden floodings from the marshes. They are perfectly
sanitarian in both Italy and Greece, and the exits from
them were intended to be all along their courses.
One word in conclusion. If, as has been shown to be
the case, the darkest mysteries of Greece culminated in
Argolis, yet in Argolis arose that wholesome opposition
to them which the great games and ceremonies called
Heraea celebrated, and which promoted that moral honour
and integrity among the Greeks that dignified their
civilisation, their literature, and their art.
As a final remark I would impress on all interested in
archaeology, that the two places most promising for exca-
vations are Nemea (with Mounts Apesas and Cleonae)
and Thebes, both being places where the contest for
enlightenment was most valiantly fought out.
(procccomcje of tU Qfoeociafton.
Wednesday, 6th November 1895.
C. H. Oompton, Esq. V.P., in tiih Chair.
Till': following Members were duly elected : —
Rev. T. W. Daltrey, Rectory, Madeley, Salop.
Miss Scull, 2 Langland Gardens, JS\W.
Francis Sills, Esq., 44 Burnt Ash Hill, Lee, Kent.
Honorary Foreign Member: — Mr. J. B. Pohath Kehelpannala,
Gampola, Ceylon.
Honorary Correspondent : — Bristowe Wilkinson, Esq., Lanercost
Road, Tulse Hill, S.E.
The death of Mr. E. P. L. Brock, F.S.A., V.P., Hon. Treasurer, was
announced, with universal regret, and an eloquent tribute paid to his
memory. It is hoped that a biographical memoir may be received in
time for a place further on in the Journal.
The death of Mr. Lynam, Junior, who had actively co-operated in
the recent Congress at Stoke-on-Trent, was also announced with much
regret.
Mr. G. Patrick, Hon. Sec, read a letter from Rev. Mr. Mayhew,
bearing witness to the recent losses sustained by the Association
through these deceases, and letters of condolence were ordered to be
written and forwarded.
Thanks were ordered to be returned to the respective donors of (lie
following presents to the library : —
To the Society, for "Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of
Ireland", vol. v, pts. 2, 3.
„ „ for "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Antiquaries
of Scotland", vol. xxviii, 1893-4.
for " Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmoreland
Antiquarian Society", vol. xiii, pt. 2.
348 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
T<> the Society, for the "Archaeological Journal", vol. lii, No. 20G, June
1 895.
,, ,, for "Arclui'ologia ^Eliana", pt. Hi.
,, ,, for "Archseologia Oantiana", vol. xxi.
,, ,, for " Collections Historical and Archaeological relating to
Montgomery sliire", pt. lv, May 1895.
„ ,, for "Archaeologia Oambrensis", lifth series, Nos. 47, 18.
,, ,, for Smithsonian publications : Fr. Boas, ''Chinook Texts",
1 s'*4 ; G. Fowke, "Archaeological Investigations in the James
and Potomac Valleys", 1894; J. Mooney, "The JSioux Tribes
of the East", 1894.
To the Editor, for " The Reliquary", vol. i, Nos. 3, 4.
Mr. A. Oliver exhibited two Roman lamps from tombs in Corfu ;
also a new leaden insurance-badge of the beginning of this century, an
object now very rare, and being sought after by collectors.
The Chairman exhibited the cast of a seal (unfortunately very imper-
fect) of John, Abbot of Rievaulx, attached to a deed in the Record
Office, dated 1363. The cast was sent by Mr. H. A. Rye, who has
investigated and written a paper on the " Canals at Rievaulx".
Mrs. Collier exhibited a collection of copper tokens and moneys,
chietiy of the last century, including some of Staffordshire and other
counties, France, Russia, and Brazil.
Mr. G. Patrick, Hon. Sec, exhibited drawings, and read a paper on
the " Remains of Old Winchester House, Southwark", which it is
hoped will be printed hereafter in the Journal. He also exhibited a
Roman bronze Hercules, Roman dice (one loaded), a string of Roman
beads, and two fibuhe.
Mr. Barrett described his recent visit of exploration of the Roman
wall in the neighbourhood of Hexham, where some curious mortaria,
with metal pestles, have been recently discovered. Ho also spoke of
the serious injury to the Saxon crypt at Hexham, done by the verger
in search of Roman inscriptions under the present surfaces, which
were being ruthlessly chipped away.
Wednesday, 20th Nov. 1895.
Rev. -I. Oave-Browne, M.A., in the Ciiaik.
Thanks were ordered by the Council to be returned to the respective
donors of the following presents to the library : — -
To tin: Author, for "Devonshire Briefs", pt. 1. By T. N. Brushiield
Esq., M.D.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 349
To the Society, for "Archaeological Journal", vol. Mi; second
vol. ii, No. 3.
,, ,, for "Annales de la Society d'Archeologie de Bruxelles",
tome 9me, livr. ivlm, Oct. 1895.
Mr. Barrett road a paper on "Lede Chapel, in River, co. ¥<
and exhibited a diagram and drawings, which, it is hoped, will be pub
lished in a future part of the Journal.
Rev. V. H. Moyle, the Vicar, read a paper on "The Church of
Ashampstead, co. Berks, and its Mural Paintings", exhibiting a series
of photographs, which will find a future place in the Journal.
Wednesday, 4 December 1895.
C. H. Compton, Esq., V.P., in the Chair.
Mr. T. Blashill, V.P., was duly elected to be Honorary ' reasurer in
place of the late Mr. E. P. L. Brock, F.S.A.
Some examples of Roman tessera? discovered in Bishop^gate Street,
about 17 ft. beneath the surface, were exhibited.
Mr. R. Quick, Curator of the Horniman Museum, exhibited, and
read notes on, a Celtic and other curious bells. The Celtic bell was
found at an old farmhouse at Bosbury, near Ledbury, amongsl some
old lumber.
Rev. J. Cave-Browne read a paper on "The Isle of Purbeck and its
Marble", which it is hoped will be printed hereafter in the Journal,
and Dr. Brushfield contributed some notes in further elucidation of
the subject.
1895
- - - ^ - , v- '
7Z& Xii f<M ^Sfcfc ^VSa^^
«
x^r^
Ofitfuarg.
.Mr. E. P. Loftus Brock, F.S.A.
It is with much regret that we record the death of the Hon. Treasurer
of our Association, which took place on the 2nd November. He was
born on the 23rd Dec. 1832, atClapham. His father was an old retired
officer, and a member of a well-known Guernsey family. He had seen
much service with his regiment in various parts of the world, and after
the Peninsular War quietly retired and settled down.
Mr. Brock was the youngest of three sons, all of whom early showed
artistic ability : one became an engineer ; the second, a portrait and
miniature-painter. After being at school in the neighbourhood of his
father's house, at an early age he entered the offices of Messrs. Haber-
shon and Spalding, architects, of 37 Bedford Place. Mr. Brock
applied himself with great zeal and application to his work and studies,
continuing by himself, in his spare hours, learning what he had not an
opportunity of doing at school. Not neglecting his professional train-
ing, he entered the Royal Academy Architectural School. This period
he often referred to with pride and pleasure, and affectionately
treasured up his " bone", or token, that showed his right to enter the
Academy for private study. His labours were crowned with success,
for in 1854 he obtained the Society's Silver Medal for his drawings.
By his diligence and application he obtained a partnership with his
employers in 1862, and also about this time he began to take an active
interest in the congenial study of archaeology, combining this with his
professional pursuits. In 18G6 he became a member of the British
Archaeological Association, in whose work he later took such an active
interest, and which had for him great charms. Ever ready to appre-
ciate the relics of a by-gone time, he always endeavoured to preserve
what remained of the past.
In 1866 he married Charlotte, daughter of Nathaniel Clark, Esq.,
of St. George's Road, and formerly Master of the Mercers' Company.
With his wife he lived with great happiness; but this time of great
bo liim was, unfortunately, but short-lived, for about two years
after his marriage his wife died, leaving him with two children. After
ufclTUARY. :;.")!
a lapse of some years he married Mrs. Smythe, widow of the late
Captain Smythe, 33rd Regt., and daughter of the late Gordon Moir,
Esq., of Chepstow Place. This lady still survives him, to mourn bis
loss.
It was about the time of his second marriage, in 1874, that Mr.
Brock was left sole partner in the linn of architect , Mr. Babershon
having retired; and it was about this time, too, that he commenced to
be known in connection with his church work, both building and
restoring old churches and buildings. This came from his ardent love
and respect for old things, and combining this with his artistic
and professional abilities, he embarked on congenial work. He seemed
to enjoy piecing together the old fragments and old stones of the
buildings. Retaining as much as possible the characteristics and
features of the original, he effected a genuine restoration.
Most of his work was done in Kent, but during the course of his
professional career, and in pursuit of his archaeological studies, he had
visited nearly every part of England. He had also visited the cities
of Belgium and Normandy ; and just a year before his death lie had
an opportunity, which he had so often wished for, to visit Rome. This
was a subject of great delight to him, and during the time of his afflic-
tion he was ever hopeful that he might be spared to visit Italy
again.
But it was not to be. In November 1891 a fatal malady commenced
to assert itself. It was in June this year that it was discovered he
was suffering from a terrible malady, the cure of which seems beyond
human aid. When the serious nature of his illness, and the necessity
of a very dangerous operation were communicated to him, he resigned
himself with true Christian courage and fortitude, and calmly settled
his affairs. The operation was successful, and gave relief, and hopes
were entertained that a cure, perhaps even only of a temporary nature,
had been effected; but it was without avail, for on the 2nd Novem
ber, somewhat unexpectedly, he quietly passed away, his end being
due to exhaustion after an attack of haemorrhage ; his mind clear to
the last, on the day of his death busying himself in his affairs, he died
in harness.
Apart from his connection with the Association and the Society of
Antiquaries, he was for a long time Honorary Secretary to the Society
for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, and a large measure of its
success is due to his energy and efforts.
His wife, son, and daughter, with a large circle of sympathising
friends, are left to mourn his loss. Ever kind, generous, gentle and
bright, we miss his genial presence and courtly feeling which endeared
24'-
352 OBITlWliY.
him to all he was thrown with in his daily life, professionally and
socially.
During .Mr. Brock's long professional career he has carried out a
large number of important works, a few of which may be mentioned :
Normanhurst Court, Battle, the seat of Lord Brassey; Picture Gallery
at Baldstow; Village Hospital, East Grinstead. A large number of
churches were erected or restored, among them St. Augustine's, Bigh-
bury New Park; Park Presbyterian Church, Highbury ; Hammerwood
Church, Sussex ; a church for Lady Lampson at Rowfont ; Wallington
Church ; St. Helen's, Ore, Sussex. The above were designed and
erected in conjunction with Mr. E. Habershon.
After the retirement of Mr. Habershon in Mr. Brock's favour, the
following may be taken as specimens of the work of the latter :
Shaftesbury House, Shaftesbury Avenue ; German Orphanage, Dalston;
churches at Newhaven, Iping Marsh : St. Columb's, Notting Hill ;
St. Philip's, Cambridge ; St. Mark's, Forest Gate. As types of con-
servative restoration, the ancient churches of Westacre, Col died,
Staple, Crundall, Ruckinge, East Langdon, and Upper Hardres (all in
Kent), may be taken as representing Mr. Brock's genuine regard for
these old buildings. They were treated with tender and kindly con-
sideration, as an antiquary always striving to retain what was ancient
and of real interest to the fabric, and yet as an architect leaving the
work substantial and sound, with a new lease of life.
After the death of Mr. Drayton Wyatt, Mr. Brock took in hand the
various works at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, for Mrs. Dent, and
superintended the excavation of the remains of Winchcombe Abbey,
and succeeded in the recovery of a large portion of the ground-plan of
the church. Ouite recently the Roman villa in the Wadfield, near
Sudeley Castle, has been unearthed under Mr. Brock's direction.
Mr. Brock's architectural practice will be taken over by Mr. George
Patrick, architect (now Hon. Secretary), who will be assisted by the
late Mr. Brock's managing clerk.
dssSs
SEALS OF THE FOREST.
Wi
•iff-/;, y'. i.t
(ftnftquarian Jntdii^cncc.
The King's Peace : a Historical Sketch of tfu English Law-Cov/rts. By
F. A. Inderwick, Esq., Q.C. (London: Swan Sonnenschein and I
The author of this interesting work has put into a small <• pass the
leading points of the ancient and mediaeval history of law as it has
gradually been built up in England. Beginning at the Anglo-Saxon
period, much space is devoted to the methods of procedure and the
origin of practice as found to be in vogue among our forefathers ; bu< h
as, for example, the relation between the King and the forest, the
various courts, the witenagemot, oaths, ordeals, and punishments. To
the consideration of the office of Chancellors, and the history of the
Great Seal, the author brings much legal knowledge : and the illustra-
tion of the seal of Edward the Confessor, the first in which the so-
called "type of majesty" occurs, appropriately introduced at this place,
is one of the best in the book. A well illustrated history of English
seals is, indeed, still a desideratum, although several of our members
have laid the foundation for its preparation hereafter by works on
different sections of these relics.
Then comes the history of the numerous law-courts, with some
amusing instances of the proverbial delay therein arising, exemplified
in the troubles of a certain Richard de Anesti, who, after persistently
urging his suit for, and claim to, the lands of his uncle, William de
Sackville, for six years, and spending all his substance in journeys,
payments to friends, advocates, and witnesses, gifts and fees to Que< a
Elinor, the royal physician, and one Hakelot, a Jew money-lender, at
last prevailed on King Henry II to hear the cause personally, at W I-
stock, about a. d. 1177. There is an interesting charter and seal of
this personage in the British Museum (No. 24,607), which shows the
prominent position of the litigant, who rides in armour, on his horse,
as a baron or landed tenant of high social distinction.
Among many points connected with the law, which Mr. [ndi rwick
has touched on in this manual, those relating to torture, the ta< I
other punishments of various kinds, the Bar and the Cnns of Courl
35 4 ANTIQUA l: 1 A N I INTELLIGENCE.
" Trailbaston", " Pypowders", and judicial costume, will be read with
advantage by the antiquary, who will iind recorded here avast amount
of information relating to these subjects, with which the author is
evidently thoroughly well versed.
The forest laws and law-courts supply the text for a lengthy chapter,
wherein their origin is carefully traced, and the details of their deve-
lopment worked out. There are, too, a map of the kingdom of Eng-
land, showing the extent of the principal forests about the time of
Magna Charta ; and a plate (which we reproduce) of four curious seals,
the first three of which bear the stag's head cabossed, which appears
to have been used as a badge or emblem of forest office, viz. (1), the
seal of Henry Ratcliff, Earl of Sussex, as Chief Justice of all the
forests, etc., extra Trentam, of Queen Mary, about 1558 ; (2), that of
Sir Giles Dawbney and Sir Reginald Bray, Knights, Justices in Eyre
citra Trentam, 1497, with their arms impaled together; (3), that of
Sir Thomas Lovell, Knight, Justice in Eyre citra Trentam, 1513 ; and
(4), a seal of Halifax Town, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, illus-
trating the "Gibbet Law" of the Forest of Hardwick, which was co-
extensive with the Parish of Halifax, in 1662.
We see by these illusti-ations how valuable an aid may be rendered
to the study of mediaeval history by having recourse to the teaching of
seals. Mr. Inderwick has also reproduced several drawings of interiors
of courts, from a finely illuminated manuscript which is preserved in
the Library of the Inner Temple ; and this, with other illustrations,
invest his book with additional attraction.
We observe that this work is one member of the " Social England
Series", of which we hope to see many other succeeding volumes. If
they all afford as pleasant and profitable reading as this one does, the
success of the Series will be assured.
A History of Northumberland. By Cadwalladeu J. Bates. (Lon-
don : Stock, 62 Paternoster Row.)— This is one of the most recent
additions to the ever-increasing series of smaller county histories which
we have from time to time noticed in these columns. They are rightly
entitled "Popular County Histories", and they are intended to supply
a popular want which the restricted numbers and far higher prices of
the old folios never can possibly satisfy, on account of their rarity,
bulk, and expense.
.Mr. hates has had a most attractive theme in the county of North-
umberland, and we think he has performed his task well : so much so
that the work stands second to none in the series for its amount of
C >ndensed information and lucid arrangement. The sections or chap-
ANTIQUARIAN ivn.i i h.i;\< i .
ters include the four Dykes (he Wall the Kingdom the Earldom
Tynedale— the Percies the Marches the Radclyffes and New<
upon-Tyne. In this final chapter, by the way, we do no! observe any
account of the great Duke of Newcastle whose enormous collection of
State papers and correspondence of the eighteenth centui ently
passed into the possession of the oation. Full notice has been, how-
ever, taken of the older and mediaeval annals of the count; and
lore, tales illustrative of manners and cusl . and the continual con-
flicts which raged throughout the middle age, between the English and
Scots, have been carefully described.
It might have been expected that the author would have given a
fuller notice of that unique piece of ancient silversmith's art, th<
bridge lanx, which happily still finds a home in the county where it
was found, treasured carefully among the antiquities in Alnwick
Castle, where also is preserved a valuable collection of Egyptian, and
another of Roman objects, respectively described, in n j, by
the late Dr. S. Birch and Dr. Collingwood Bruce, but not noticed by
Mr. Bates.
A History of Lancashire. By Lieut.-Col. Henry Fishwick, F.S.A.
(Stock.) — This is a companion-volume to the preceding, and has been
treated in the same manner. The chapters are divided into pre-
Roman Lancashire — the Romans and Roman Remains — the Saxon
and the Dane — the Normans and the Plantagenets — the Tudors— the
Seventeenth Century — and other classes of interest. It is, in tart, a
well-arranged chronological summary of county events.
One of the most interesting parts of this book is that which contains
the account of the so-called "Lancashire Witches" and pretended
demoniacal possessions, and it is curious that the form which these
appearances took was very much the same all over the world. The
gravely recorded appearances of black cats and brown dogs, the occur-
rence of scratchings, unusual noises, and the supervening of maladies
supposed to be imparted to those who were in any way obnoxious to the
parties who had acquired supei'iiatmal power, vary hut little in the
widely separated countries over whieh the wave of witchcraft j
in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and in the county under
notice here the matter appears to have taken a very acute form. These
reports would be ludicrous in the extreme were it not thai they were
serious enough to put the lives of many innocent persons to tin-
jeopardy of death, which so frequently was meted out under circum-
stances of much barbarity. Under any circumstances they deserve
investigation by the psychologist.
356 ANTIQUARIAN [NTELLTGENCE.
Rucking e Church, Kent. — The accurate knowledge and loving enthu-
siasm which the late Mr. E. P. Loftus Brock brought to bear upon the
task of preserving the beautiful memorials of past centuries will be
sorely missed. Especially will his loss be felt by those who, at the time
of his decease, were engaged, with his assistance, and under his guid-
ance, in the work of rescuing from ruin those monuments of the past in
which most of all Mr. Brock delighted, viz., the ancient parish churches
of Kent and other parts of the land. But while his personal oversight
of the works in progress must needs pass into other hands, it is to be
Imped that the utmost care will be taken that his plans for the work
shall be carried out. One such case is that of the parish church of
Ruckinge, Kent, a building which Mr. Brock regarded as having
features of unique interest.
An appeal is now made to all to help to bring to completion a work
which Mr. Brock would, doubtless, have regarded as one of the most
important works that he had in hand at the time of his decease.
The Rector, Churchwardens, and parishioners of Ruckinge earnestly
beg for help in the absolutely necessary work of the repair of their
parish church. £1,500 is needed for a simple but efficient restoration.
.£1,100 of this must be raised without delay, for immediate neeo. %
.£650 has been spent during the past year, chiefly in saving from
threatened destruction the fine fourteenth century roof, and putting it
into sound repair. Over £200 of this has yet to be raised before other
and equally necessary work can be commenced. The parish is entirely
agricultural, and very poor, and has no squire, lay-patron, or resident
gentry.
Mr. Brock in his Report says : " This building is one of unusual
interest. It has ample evidence, in the masonry of its walls and two
fine doorways, of its erection in Norman times. The nave, chancel,
and south chapel, and the upper stage of the tower, including the
curious leaded spire, are of fourteenth century date, and they present
remarkable and unusual evidences that the work has hardly been inter-
fered with or touched from that remote date to the present time. The
roofs, arches, and the great bulk of the structure, are all of the latter
period ; the added work of later centuries being confined to the forma-
tion of the pews, which are in very poor condition, and the floors,
which are mainly of common red brick. The church is, therefore, inte-
ag as an example of a building which, in its fabric, has survived to
the present time in a condition untouched by modern hands." lie
adds that the church "must be repaired now, while repair is possible,
or it will very soon fall to decay too great for repair."
Probablv the earliest record of Ruckinge is the charter of Cuthred,
RUCKINUE CHURCH.
£JlM.
NORMAN SOUTH DOORWAY, RUCKI.NGE CHURCH.
ANTIQUARIAN [INTELLIGENCE. 357
King of Kent, granting two hides there to Aldberhl the thegn, and
Selethryth the Abbess, in a.i>. so:., the texl of which has lately been
found by Mr. W. de Gray Birch, and printed in bia Cartularium
Saxonicum, vol. iii, p. 672.
Contributions will be received by Rev. George Harris, Ruckinge
Rectory, Ashford, Kent.
Cratfield Parish Papers. By Rev. W. Holland, Rector of Hunt
ingfield. (Jarrold and Sons.) — This volume of Suffolk history is
described as being one among many transcripts of parish papers left by
the Rev.W. Holland. If it is a fair specimen of the collection, it mighi
be of interest to have a further instalment, The accounts appear to In;
exceptionally full, and afford many illustrations of minute pointfi of
histor.y and manners. Commencing in 1490, and ending in 1642, they
display implicitly the changes in the great world around. Tin- entries,
for instance, as to the " rowell", or light before the rood, cease in 1539,
when candles were forbidden before any image but that of the Saviour.
They recur again, however, in 1541, when there is a charge for " baryng
and fetchyng of the rowell". The migrations of the Table are similar.
Witness an entry, under 1557, for " fetchyng of the table that is at
the alter from the vycarrage barne". Among other changes in the
fabric and furniture of the church may also be noted the "whitenge
and castinge of the curch" in 1583, and the "joining the Pulpit and
desk together", in 1638. There are several inventories of church goods
and lists of vestments repaired or remade.
In the later years it is interesting to remark the numerous mentions
of unattached ministers or lecturers, more than one of whom, like
William Towneson, under 1639, hailed "from out of hye Garminie".
As to secular matters, many incidental allusions occur to the wars,
etc., which take place, as when 18s. are paid, in 1598, "for wachinge
of Siswelle becken" on the coast, and 36.s. " for the seteinge forth of the
soulgers to Irland", or when "the soldier that came from the Palati-
nate", in 1624, "with a pass", receives 2s. 6c?.
The hand of the tax-gatherer was not lighter here than elsewhere,
and there are particulars of several subsidies, aids (for Prince Henry's
knighthood in 1609, and the Lady Elizabeth's marriage in 1612), and
of the system of purveyance. In the latter entries, is not "the clarke
of the market" (at Peasenhall, for instance, a marketless village), a
term about which the learned Editor, Dr. Raven, seems in doubt, an
officer of the royal household without any proper local connection I
As might have been expected of the author of Church Bells of Suffolk,
Dr. Raven adds notes of his own concerning the Cratfield bells, the
358 ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE.
expenses of which are entered in the accounts. One, under 1585, is
by Henry Topsel, first of Beccles in Suffolk, and then of West Tarring
in Sussex ; another, under 1637, by John Brand of Norwich. There
are many entries of "potationes ecclesiasticse", or " cherch ales", in
the earlier years ; and in 1517 the full expenses of a colossal "picnic"
in Melle "Wood and AYest Wood, perhaps held (as is suggested by
Mr. Holland) in order to leave as small a sum as possible of the Guild
funds to the Augmentation Office. Under 23 March 1G37, is an
entry, " for three pounds of figs and two pounds raisons"; and again,
about the same season in 1641, " for. raisins, and anions, and figs, and
sugar', of which Dr. Raven can give no satisfactory explanation. Can
it allude to the custom which still obtains in the neighbourhood of
Watford in Hertfordshire, and perhaps elsewhere, of having fig-pudding
on Palm-Sunday ?
Important discoveries at Nancy, which will carry the history of the
city back several centuries, have been made recently. Two streets
dating from the sixth century have been traced, and the excavations
have already laid bare seventy tombs of warriors, women, and children.
At the feet of each is a vase of coarse earthenware. Jewels of silver
and gold, enamelled glass, fibuhe, scissors, and tweezers have been
found, as well as Gaulish money, and one gold coin of Justinian.
Excavations on Barry Island. — Lord AVindsor's workmen recently
discovered on Barry Island a splendid Roman well. It is circular in
shape, and has walls of solid masonry, 5 ft. thick. We are informed
that some bronze objects have been found in the well.
PHI /
INDEX.
A.
Abbey of Valle Crucis, excavations .-it,
299 ; western porch at, discovered, 302
Ambrose (Peter), sequestrator, agent for
Lancashire, 1650, 27
American tumulus, finds in, 187
Andrew (S.), "British Footprints: the
Oldham Master-Key", 11
Annates de Maryam, a.D. 1066-1232, 15
Arden, place-name, 7
Argolis, excavations in, etc., 188
Ashamptead Church, its mural paintings,
349
Astbury Church visited, 84
B.
Barrett (C. R. B.) on "Riding Skim-
miugtou" aud "Riding the Staug", 58
describes Norman remains, Croy-
don Palace, 91
exhibited rubbing of, aud reads
paper on, brass of Nicholas Gaynesford
and wife, Carshalton, Surrey, 95
paper by, on Castor Castle and
Sir John Fastolf, 197
describes discoveries at Hexham,
348
reads paper on Lede Chapel, 349
Barry Island, Roman well found in, 358
Bases, scaled, a mark of the designer of
Castor, etc., 311
Bath, Roman remains found at, 97
Bed-warmer, unusual one, Bramley, Sur-
rey, described, 93
Bell (Celtic) found at farmhouse, Bosbury.
349
Birch (W. de Gray), notes by, on "Im-
portance of Preserving the Records and
Literary Antiquities of Wales", 35
reads paper on Welsh records, 90
historical notes of Whalley Abbey,
161
Bishopsgatc Street, Roman tesserae found
there, 349
Bishops of Winchester, seals of, 102
Blasuill (T.) exhibits five documents
relating to Sutton in FTolderness, near
Hull. ;•:.
Blashill ('I'.) elected Hon. Treasurer, 349
Bosbury, near Ledbury, Celtic bell found
at farmhouse, 3 19
Bradley (Mias E.) reads paper on Glas-
tonbury, and exhibits objects found at
lake dwelling, 197
Bristol Cathedral, old foundations found
at, 91
Bristol, tile-pavement discovered in Bride-
well Street, 90
British roads, 3 ; footprints, 11
Brock (E. P. L.) describes Roman villa
at Darenth, 88
exhibits silver medal of Charles I
(1633), 88
reads notes on steelyard found at
Wiuchcombe, Gloucestershire, 92
exhibits casts, etc., of seals, 95
reads paper on Roman villa in the
Wadtield, near Sudelev Castle, 188
C.
Cabra (Conde de), his arms on a tile at
Cordova, 189
Caer Cystenyn, 21 ; Roman road at, 23
Caer Seiont, 21
Canals, 2
Canterbury, Norman crypt discovered at.
86
Cart (Rev. H.) on a recent visit to Car-
thage, 190
Carving at Wakerley Church, 311
Castor Church, Northants, its supposed
French designer, 309 ; dedicated, 1 124,
309; granted to Peterborough, 1133,
309 : materials from, reused, 313
Cave-Browne (Rev, J.) reads paper on
Otham Church, parish, and manor-
house, 95, lii?
paper by, on Isle of Purbeck and
its marble, 349
Caversham, King Charles I at, 286
Chartulary of Llandaff (1150), 40; MS.
of Arundel Collection, B. M.. 11, 12, 17
360
[NDEX.
tham's Hospital visited, s:;
Chester, Roman building discovered at,
69 : Cathedra] visited, 83 ; crypt found
in \\ Si reet, 303
Ci\il War, some bypaths of, 25
Collier (Rev. C. V.) exhibits ticket to
witness trial of Lord Lovat, 197
exhibits various cupper coins, '■'< 18
Committee for confiscation of estates
appointed, I'll'-'. 25
Constantinople, walls of, represented, 312
Croydon Palace, Norman stones built up
in, '.'1
Crypt found in Watergate Street, Chester,
303 ; at Messrs. Roberts' establishment,
ter, 69
D.
Davis (C. ) exhibits brasses of Gloucester-
shire, 197
Davis (Major C. E.), his discoveries of
Roman remains at Bath. 97
Dent (Mrs.), of Sudeley Castle, exhibits
drawings of steelyard found at Winch-
combe, 92
specimens of, found at various
places, 92
exhibits illustrations of tiles
fromHailes Abbey. Winchcombe Church
and Abbey, 189
exhibits rubbing of tile from
church in Cordova, 189
sends for exhibition coloured
plates of tiles from Stanton Church,
Sudeley Castle, and Winchcombe
Abbey, 197
Deva. traces of a building discovered at,
west of the Forum, Chester, 69
Donaldson (Professor) on Roman roads. 5
of St. Sabina Church. Pome, 95
1 (orford Hall visited. 85
Fishwick (Lieut. -Col. H.)on pre-Norman
churches in Lancashire. 1 5 4
Fryeb (Dr. A. C), paper by, on Igel
Monument in Germany, 91
on finds in an American tumulus,
187
description by, of Roman monu-
ment, Igel, 296
G.
Goldsmiths' Hall Committee of Seques-
tration prior to 1650, 26
Gbeen (J. J!. ,). bis summary of Wat
Tyler'.- iii,-ii> reet ion, 1 26
II.
lb imIL y (ThomaB), brass of, at < itham
Church, hi- wives and children, 1 7 "J
lb bam, mortaria with metal pestles
found at, 348
Holy Sepulchre, Church of, represented
in can ing, 312
I.
Igel, Roman monument at. and inscrip-
tion on, 296
inscription, Roman, 292
Intel lacing design, cross at Castor, North-
ants, 310
Ikvink (J. T.) sends notes on a carvea
capital in Wakerley Church, 197
notes by, on Northants churches
designed probably by a French master-
mason, 309
K.
Kil as a place-name, 19
L.
Lancashire, the civil wars, by-paths in, 25;
Llanbeblig, 21; Church, 23
Latini (Brunetto) visits Shirburn Castle,
1294, 294
Lede "Chapel in River", York, 349
Leg' \\. \'V. 71
Lewis (Lev. G. B.) exhibits photograph of
N hi man font at Toller Church, Dorset,
89
Libt r Landavt nsis, 39
Llandaff, chartulary of (11501, 40
Llewellin, Prince of North "Wales, docu-
ments connected with, 44
Li'Ki.v (Councillor;! semis photograph of
niche found in house, High Street,
Canterbury, 86
M.
Macclesfield visited, 84
Madoc (Ordus), monumental slab of. 300
Maen in place-names, 9
MAKINSON (C, Alderman) describes "The
Ancient Courts of the Borough of Sal-
ford", 314
Manchester, early occupants of, 1 ; Court
Leet, records of (1552), 50 ; Report on,
ib. ; Cathedral visited. 83 ; bench-end
at, 89
Manor of Manchester, 49 ; early deeds
relating to, (7*.; purchased by Corpora-
tion, i6. ; Sir Oswald Mosley, Part., lord
of the Manor, ih. ; Corporation obtain
old deeds relative to, ill.
Margam Abbey documents, 41
Master-mason of certain Northants
churches, 309
Maxey Church tower, its designer, 310
McDonald (R. H.) reads paper on the
Hill ot'Tara, 95
.Mi ilia-val Hour found at I Lester, 300
Mi i.-iy (The), Morecambe Pay, etc., 1
Monastery of Whitefriars, Chester, its
site. 305
Monet Walts r), "A Walk to Shirburn
(astle, Oxford", 197, 285
INDEX.
361
Montacute Houbo, Somerset, the " Skym-
mety" there represented, 6 I
Morecambe Bay, i arly occupants round, 1
Morton | Little Ball, M
Motle Rev. \ M on the Church of
As! psti :; ''■'
N.
N.mr! . France, discoveries at, 358
Nan! rich
Nidstaeng (The), 59
Norman carved stones, Croydon Palace,
91 ; crypt, Canterbury, s11 I d<
87; font in garden al Waddon, Wilts., 90
Northanta churches, work tof he Bame
master-mason, 309
0.
Olives (M. A.) exhibits bench-end from
Manchester Cathedral, 89
exhibits Roman lamps from Corfu,
etc., 348
exhibits a Bellarmine, 9 I
Otham Church, 95 ; Church and parish,
107; Manor House, 17s
Owen (Rev. T. H.) describes excavations
at Valle Cruris Abbey, 299
I'.
Patrick (G.) exhibits collection 'it' keys
and gold medal, 190
exhibits drawings of, and reads
paper on, remains of Old Winchester
House Southwark, 3 18
Phene (J. S.) on researches and excava-
tions in Argolis and other parts of
Greece, 188
Polybius on nations north of Alps, 7
Portemannemoot of the Fire Borough ol
Salford, 314
Pre-Norman work found at Valle Cruris
Abbey, 301
Q-
iii [CK (R.) exhibits, and reads notes on,
Celtic and other bells, 349
R.
Records,Court of Uorougk of Salford, ;il 1
Richard, priest of Castor, probably the
founder of its church, 309
Richard, King of the Romans, arms of,
on steelyard weights, 92
Rievaulx, seal of John, Abbol of (1363),
348
Roads, Central Italy, 1
Roman altar found at Llanbeblig Church,
97 ; well found at Harry Island
also Roman remains found then
balance found at Chester, s<> ; funeral
inscribed monument atShirburn ( !aatle,
292 ; inscription, ib. ; inscription on
monument at Igel, 296 ; monumi
Igel described, ib.; remains, discovery
of, 22; road • in Britain, 8; road, B
road and
■ found 1 1 -
villa found al Darentl
Ropei M I 12
Ryi II. \ i . Khibil seal of John, \
ol Rit vaulx, 348
s.
Salford, Borough ol mcii d< < !ourt R<
31 I
San Francisco, mound near, -
187
Saxon churches in Lancashire, 1 5 i ;
ii i !hurch, 157 ; crosses, Whalley
churchyard, 158 Winwick
Church, 159
pecial mat I
designer, 310
, EJenrj Beauforl (1 In.".- 17 . 115;
of Thomas Billson (1596-1616 . 12
Henrj of Blois (1129-71), 1"-'
..1 Harold B ,124;
of W Llliam ' 16-66 ,111;
of Nicholas of I
.lob,, of Exet r * 1262-65), 101
Stephen ( lardiner 1 531-56 ,118
t Horn.' I 1560-79), 120 ; of God-
! 39-1204), I
\|. V8 168 1-] 706 122 ; of John of
Portoise (1282-1304), 108 ; of Pel
Roches 12 15 ; ol John de
Sandale (1316 19), 110 ; of Johu.Abbot
of Rievaulx, 348; of < !harles Richard
Sumner (1827-69), 123 ; of Anthony
Wilson Thorold i 1891 ,124; of Richard
Toclive (117 1-88), 103 ; of Aym< r de
•e (1250 60), 105; of John White
(1556-60), 1 I'.', of Winchester Biahope,
101; of Samuel Wilberforce (1869-73 .
123; of Henrj W Hock (131
109; of William of Wykeham
1404), 112
Segontium, 21 : discovery of Roman re
main-, -i'l : name from Seiont, the
river, _ I
Senones (The), 6
i document, rivil war i
lire (1651 . 31, 33
Sheraton (II.) on discoveri
tium and St. Beblig's Church, '-'7
Shirburn < !astle,a walk to, 286 ; deecribedj
290; history of ' • em-
lull [l
Sh e Lore, by II. Syer < luming, 1 19
Siche, or sike. place-name, 15
South Wales, chron
Southwark, drawn ' I
Housi
Sparrow-Simpson (Rev. Dr. W.),
by. "On the Head of Sii
bury, Archbishop of Canterbury", 91,
126
i idiug on brass al l.\ uu, <>-
362
tNDEX.
Stanlaw Abbey, 161
Staxnin.; (Rev. J. H.. M.A.), ■■(in Bome
By Paths of the Civil War in Lanca-
shire", 25
Steelyards, various finds of, 92
St. Beblig, or Peblig, or Publicius, figure
of, discovered, 23
St. s .1'ina. doors of Church of, Rome, 95
St. Sofia represented in carvings in Eng-
land. 312
Sudbury (Simon), Archbishop, relic of, 91
Talbot (Miss), of Margam, possesses
documents of Margam Abbey, 41
Tibald (Archbishop Simon >, alias Sud-
bury, note of his life, 130
Tile-pavement found at Bristol, 90
Toller Church, Dorset, font at, 89 (de-
scribed vol. l, pp. 329, 331)
Town Hall, Watlington, 295
Tympanum, figure on, of Our Blessed
'Lord, at Castor, 310
V.
Valle Crucis Abbev, excavation of, 299
Veneti (The), 7
Yemioues (The), 5
Verueys of Claydon, time of civil war, 33
W.
Wakerley Church, its Norman master-
mason, 311
Wales, catalogue of Welsh documents,38;
records and literary auticpiities of, 35 ;
documents connected with, 44
Wansford font designed by architect of
Castor Church, 310
Wane family. 53
Water Newton Church. Norman work re-
used in, 313 ; monumental figure of
founder at. ib. ; inscription on, ib.
Watlington Town Hall, 295
Way (E.) exhibits Roman pottery found
in Southwark, 189, and Good Thoughts
for Bad Times, and Good Thowjhts for
Worst Times, by Thomas Fuller, l> D.
exhibits two leaves from a Missal,
thirteenth century, a porcelain bead,
and pseudo Samian dish, from South-
wark, 197
Welsh documents, in whose possession,
45 ; ancient Chronicle of, 46 ; laws,
documents of, 39
Wenhastou Church, Suffolk, painting at,
96 ; churchwardens1 accounts begun
1645 ; antique bronze of Venus found
at, 96; vicars' list from 1217, 96
West familyr, 56
Whaddon, Wilts., font in garden at, 90
Whalleyr Abbey visited, 84 ; notes on, by
W. de Gray Birch, 161 ; a Cistercian
building, founded 1296 ; MS. relative
to the history of, 165
White Friars' Monastery, Chester, its site,
305
Williams (F. H.) on traces of a building
discovered west of Forum, Chester, 69
describes crypt found at Chester,
303
Winchester House, Southwark. 34*
Winchester, seals of the Bishops of, 101
Wvon (A.), paper on seals of Bishops of
Winchester, 101
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